Retrograde
by AngelQueen87
Summary: Three years after the Fourth Shinobi World War, Kaguya's clansmen came to finish her work and take back all of the world's chakra. The survivors have all gathered at what remains of Konoha, but there's no end in sight. So when an opportunity to buy more time and find a solution arises, Sixth Hokage Kakashi Hatake seizes the chance to send Team 7 on one last mission. Time Travel AU
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

 **Retrograde**

 **Chapter One**

A cool hand pressed against the back of his neck, prompting the young man to look up at the person standing beside his slumped over form. He offered the old woman a half-hearted smile when he met her tired dark violet eyes. The little red panda draped around her shoulders glares down at him as her mistress slowly lowered herself to sit beside him on the plain wooden bench in one of the makeshift medical tents that had been erected hastily after the most recent attack.

"Where's that annoying optimism of yours at, boy?" the red panda snapped at him, jumping down from the woman's shoulders to sit on his knee. "This isn't the time to be despairing."

The familiar, deep raspy voice at the back of his head suddenly spoke, low and unintentionally menacing. _"That little rodent is right, Naruto,"_ Kurama agreed, speaking for the first time since the jinchūriki had woken.

Naruto nodded absently but stayed silent.

"Hush, Kazane," the woman gently scolded, patting the red panda's head once. "Don't listen to anything she says, Naruto."

He opened his mouth to respond, to disagree with her. To tell her that Kazane was right and that he and Kurama both agreed.

The last few weeks had been…the only way it could be described was a nightmare.

Everything had been fine only a few months ago, but then Sasuke had suddenly returned to the village with Sakura in tow. They had been beaten, bruised, and covered in blood when Sasuke had literally dropped them into the Hokage's office just as Kakashi had been about to send Naruto, Hinata, Lee, and Kiba off on what was supposed to be an A-rank mission in a joint effort with Suna.

Naruto could remember with sharp clarity the gasp of shock Hinata had let out when they had appeared as he'd jumped forward to help Sakura catch Sasuke before he hit the ground. His best friend was seconds away from passing out, but Sasuke had forced himself to stay conscious just a few seconds longer in order to say one word.

" _Ō_ _tsutsuki."_

From there it had all just gone downhill.

The Elemental Nations had erupted in chaos in a matter of days after Sasuke and Sakura had returned to Konoha, bringing with them the horror story of facing members of the Ōtsutsuki clan who had attempted to steal Sasuke's Rinnegan once they'd sensed his Sixth Paths chakra.

It was war.

And it was even worse than the Fourth Shinobi World War just a little over three wars ago.

First, they attacked Kumogakure and extracted Gyūki from Killer B, killing him the process, before turning their attention to Konoha next to finish what they'd started with Sasuke. Three Ōtsutsuki clan members had appeared just as word of B's death had reached Naruto and the others. They had torn through the village, killing shinobi and civilians alike, uncaring of whoever got in their way.

Naruto and Sasuke had immediately gone out to face them in an effort to draw them away. It had turned into a long drawn out battle as the Ōtsutsukis tried desperately to steal their Sixth Paths chakra and to take Kurama away from Naruto like they had with B. The forests and lands surrounding Konoha had been torn apart and destroyed until only a wasteland remained. Their jutsus set fire to the land, caused floods, and created new land formations among a number of other things that made the area surrounding Konoha virtually unrecognizable.

Ultimately, they were able to defeat two of them and force the third one to retreat back to whatever dimension that they had come from.

But it wasn't enough.

Days after they had sent the third Ōtsutsuki packing, they'd returned with a small army that spread their chaos and destruction all throughout the continent. As a result, communication between the shinobi villages became difficult and near impossible. By the time they'd learned what had happened, that Suna, Kumo, Iwa, and Kiri had each been nearly decimated, it was too late. Their survivors and any of their remaining shinobi along with anyone else who had been victimized by the war had made their way to what remained of Konoha, each bringing with them their own horror stories.

Among those who had come to Konoha were countless shinobi Naruto had fought alongside during the last war, but there were unfamiliar faces he had never seen before too. That included the woman who sat beside him now. She had led a large group of people to the village that was composed of a large number of missing-nin from all over the shinobi world with the majority being civilians from the Land of Fire.

Naruto's first thought when he saw her was that she had the same pretty red hair as his mom, making him wonder if the woman was related to her or was a survivor of the destruction of Uzushiogakure. He had shared his thoughts with Hinata and she agreed with him, noting that they had similar faces. In the days after the woman had arrived, he had decided to get to know her better and had learned that her name was Fumiyo and that she was in fact an Uzumaki like him.

In between attacks and strategy meetings, Naruto and Hinata spent what little time they could get their hands on asking Fumiyo all kinds of questions. They asked her if she was trained in the famed fūinjutsu the Uzumaki clan was known for. What Uzushiogakure was like before it was destroyed. If she knew of any other members of their clan.

It wasn't until one night when the three of them were joined by Sakura and Sasuke that a real connection was made between Naruto and Fumiyo.

"You said you hadn't always lived in the Hidden Eddy Village, Fumiyo," Sakura begun. "Then, where did you?"

Fumiyo's sharp purple eyes met Sakura's and a sad smile curved at her mouth. "Here, actually," she answered. Her gaze fell to the small fire at their feet, casting dark shadows on her lightly wrinkled face. "I immigrated here to Konoha before Uzushio was destroyed. I'm technically a Leaf shinobi."

Naruto nearly stopped breathing. No, that couldn't be true. Then that…that meant… She, Fumiyo, was…could have been…

Slight pressure against his palm distracted him from his jumbled thoughts. He glanced down and met his wife's worried gaze. Naruto gently squeezed her hand back in response and shook his head once at her silent question. But Hinata saw right through him easily. She frowned and opened her mouth to voice her concern, but Sasuke's next question silenced her.

"Hn. If that's true, then where've you been these last twenty years?" he asked, his one visible eye watching her intently. "Where were you during the chaos of the last war?"

Sakura began to apologize for her husband's rude questions but Fumiyo easily waved her off with a halfhearted smile. "It's fine. Sasuke asked perfectly reasonable questions. I would do the same if I were in your position."

She paused for a moment before speaking again. "I spent most of the last twenty years wandering around the Elemental Nations. Exploring. Meeting new people. Helping whoever I crossed paths with that needed assistance. Performing the occasional mission the Third Hokage would send me… But mostly I was grieving," Fumiyo told them. A flash of pain crossed her face briefly before disappearing. It was so fast that if Naruto hadn't been intently watching her every move and hanging onto her every word he would have missed it.

"For who?" he asked, careful not to put any emotion behind the words.

Hinata's warm hands wrapped around his tightly and she leaned her body into his, a sign of silent support that he was grateful for. He suspected what the old woman's words were going to be but doubt still gnawed at him. Getting his hopes up only to have them crushed would hurt, especially if he was right and ultimately didn't like what she had to say.

"For my niece and her husband and their child. They died the night the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked the village," she answered, unaware of the tears in Naruto's eyes or the quiet gasps of breath from Hinata and Sakura. "I had been outside of Konoha for the majority of Kushina's pregnancy on a secret mission in the Land of Snow. I had returned home too late. The village had been destroyed and there were many casualties, more than I had anticipated there being. All I could think was ' _this isn't right'_. Those two would have taken every precaution to ensure her seal wouldn't break during labor, but it had somehow happened anyway…

"When I finally got my audience with Lord Third, he told me that Kushina and Lord Fourth along with their child had all died in the attack. Those two protect the village like any other Leaf shinobi would, but all I heard when they told me that was that my family had died." She laughed suddenly, the sound hollow and filled with no joy. "I remember that old pervert Jiraiya tried to comfort me, telling me that I should be proud that my niece had died honorably. I wanted to hit him for telling me that. Yell and scream that the last remaining members of my clan had just been taken away from me. Instead I just asked for a proper burial for them and left the village before anyone could stop me."

Sasuke's brow furrowed in confusion and he frowned at Fumiyo, his eyes darting to quickly glance at Naruto. "Didn't you want to see the bodies?"

Fumiyo shook her head once mechanically. "No. No, I didn't, Sasuke," she told him, her dark gaze firmly planted on the stone carving of the Fourth Hokage's face. "I couldn't bear to look upon any more faces of my fallen clansmen. I had done enough of that when I went to Uzushio after its destruction... I don't even know what Kushina's child looked like. Or even if the baby was a girl or a boy." She sighed and turned to face Naruto with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "But that's all in the past now. What matters is the here and now," she murmured, reaching out to pat his cheek.

No longer able to hold himself back any longer, Naruto reached up to keep her hand there. The tears that had welled up in his eyes flowed freely now and he held her hand desperately, letting himself soak up its warmth against his skin.

"The baby was a boy," he whispered, meeting her startled gaze.

He watched as tears welled up in her eyes. Something he thought to be hope shined back at him as she gently took his face in her hands and stared intently into his eyes. A warm tingling feeling shot across his skin where she touched him as he felt her chakra gently bump against his own. Almost immediately after their chakra touched a happy smile spread across her face.

"Your chakra's warm just like Kushina's," she softly cried, pulling him into her arms.

From there the conversation had become full of tears of joy and the pain of time lost, but that moment had been one of the few bright spots for Naruto.

After their revelation had been made, Konoha had been attacked three more times. The number of casualties had steadily increased until only half of their people had survived. Everyone was steadily losing hope that this would all end and go back to the way things once were. The peace forged after the Fourth War seemed like a distant memory now, especially when all of the other villages had been destroyed and Konoha now served as a home for refugees.

The most recent attack was just as devastating, but from what Auntie Fumiyo had told him no one had died. It was a relief. That hadn't been something he'd heard in a long time.

But it didn't change the fact that they'd already lost so many.

Naruto let out a weary sigh and met his great aunt's eyes again. Worry reflected back at him in her violet eyes and he decided to leave the conversation for another time. Instead he asked something that had bugged him the moment he'd woke and realized he was miraculously still in one piece.

"What happened after that Ōtsutsuki tried to steal my chakra?"

Fumiyo's brow furrows, the hand on his neck moving down to rest on his back. "You don't remember?" At the shake of his head she let out a soft sigh. "Sasuke, Hinata, and Kakashi all went to your rescue once they'd realized what was happening. Sasuke got that bastard off you but he was still intent on stealing Kurama and your chakra. Once I saw them, I released my sealing chains and created a barrier."

Her words triggered his memory and he remembered seeing Hinata's worried face, tears in her pale eyes, hovering over his. Hearing Kakashi-sensei barking out orders to people around them. Behind them, Sasuke's Susanoo fighting high in the sky against the Ōtsutsuki Naruto had been facing. And then flowing gold chains suddenly shooting up into the sky. After that, nothing.

"Your barrier went between Sasuke and that Ōtsutsuki clansman," he remembered, prompting her to nod.

"Yes. And from what we were able to tell, if I had hesitated just a second longer there would have been more injuries than there were."

He nodded absently, glancing around the small tent they were in. "Where's Hinata?"

"She went to help Sakura," she tells him, gently rubbing his back before standing from the bench. "I'll go tell her you're awake now," she says, holding out her arm. Kazane throws Naruto one last baleful glare that he ignores before jumping from his knee and running up Fumiyo's arm back to her original place on her shoulder.

Fumiyo hesitates for a moment, staring at him, before shaking her head. His great aunt presses a kiss to his forehead before finally leaving the tent.

* * *

The next night a war council was held with the remaining Kage and other high-level shinobi attending. Sasuke stood with Naruto beside Kakashi and the Fifth Hokage in what used to be the council meeting room inside Hokage Tower along with Fumiyo, Shikamaru and a handful of other Konoha shinobi. The Fourth Raikage, Fifth Kazekage, Chōjūrō, and Kurotsuchi along with her father Kitsuchi each stood as the heads of their respective villages in the room with some of their own shinobi.

They were arguing about what their next moves should be. Some were in favor of escaping to another dimension using his Rinnegan. Others wanted to continue fighting against the Ōtsutsuki clan until they won the war.

The first idea was quickly shot down once Sasuke made it clear that they would follow no matter what dimension they ran to.

And the second forced Kakashi to repeat what he had been saying since day one.

"We have to find a solution to end this once and for all," he all but yells over the raised voices of everyone arguing amongst themselves. "Fighting them until our last dying breaths has done nothing for us except increase the number of people who have died. In case you have forgotten, the hundreds of people in this village are the _last_ of us. If we keep fighting like we have, they will _win_ and we will _lose_. Finding a way to stop them – _permanently –_ is the only way."

"But damnit, Hokage," the Raikage raged, slamming his fist down on the table in front of him. The Iwa shinobi standing near him jumped when it cracked beneath his hand. "We still do not know what they want with us! We've been fighting those damn foreign shinobi for weeks on end and nothing has changed."

Fumiyo suddenly shifted beside him, drawing his attention. Sasuke glances at Naruto's great aunt out of the corner of his eye. She shook her head once and let out an exasperated sigh before crossing her arms. "There's still one possibility we haven't considered," she said, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

"And what would that be, Fumiyo?" Lady Fifth prompted when she didn't continue.

The Kazekage leaned forward in his chair. "Yes, tell us your thoughts, Lady Uzumaki," he seconded.

Fumiyo's gaze sweeps across the many faces in the room, her mouth set in a grim line. "I'm sure at least a handful of you have already thought of this but refrained from speaking it aloud for fear that it was true," she began flatly. "Since the very beginning, they have been stealing and harvesting the chakra of our fellow shinobi. And why have they been doing that? Probably so that they can become stronger, stronger than they already are. I don't think they're here to subjugate us and turn us into their slaves like some have you have proposed before.

"They're here to take our chakra, plain and simple," she said, raising her voice so she could be heard over the sudden outburst among the shinobi gathered in the room. "They do not care if we live or die when they steal it – they probably prefer it. For all we know, the Ōtsutsukis are gathering chakra in order to fight something or someone more powerful than they are. Or they're trying to complete what Kaguya started." Fumiyo shrugged, her normally kind violet eyes dark and emotionless. "I don't know what they're doing, but with every passing day I'm starting to believe that's what is going on."

Sasuke stared at Fumiyo in surprise. This was a different side of her that he never would have suspected her to have. Normally, Naruto's great aunt only had positive, kind things to say to match her sunny personality despite the war going on around them. That kindness was what made it easy to see that the two were related. But this suddenly bleak – critical and analytical, but still bleak – outlook on their situation made him realize that beyond her kindness and the shadow of her grief that clung to her like a cloak and the quick to anger spirit that was infamous among the Uzumaki clan, Fumiyo was more than she let on.

Fumiyo stepped forward until she was standing between the two Hokages. She was yelling now in order to be heard over the panicking shinobi in the room. "If we had been better prepared for this, maybe we wouldn't have lost as many of our fellow shinobi. But what's done is done. We have to keep moving forward if we're to have any chance of winning. No more running around in circles like we have been."

"If only we'd had more warning," Shikamaru says, rubbing at his chin thoughtfully before snorting under his breath. "Too bad we don't have a way to turn back time," he drawled out sarcastically, scrubbing his hand across his face. "What a drag…"

"But we do have a way," Tsunade suddenly exclaimed.

Sasuke frowned. As far as he was aware, there was no such jutsu or ninja tool that could turn back time. It was impossible. He was sure if there was a way to send someone into the past or undo some event, Orochimaru would have found it and abused the jutsu so that he was the victor every time. If the old snake had his hands on something like that he wouldn't have tried to steal Sasuke's body.

Fumiyo shook her head firmly. "No. It's too late to use that jutsu, Tsunade." She glances around the room at the assembled shinobi. "And even if that window of opportunity was still available to us, I wouldn't suggest using it. You've seen what happened to those who stole the jutsu and tried to use it."

Tsunade grimaced at whatever memory her words triggered. "You're right. The risk is too great."

"What jutsu are you talking about?" the Raikage demanded.

"One of my clan's forbidden techniques," Fumiyo answered stiffly. "It's a fūinjutsu that utilizes some of the properties of space-time jutsu. Basically, it's a way to send a person into the past."

A huge uproar exploded at her words as everyone started talking amongst themselves and begun to bombard Fumiyo with questions and demands for her to teach them the jutsu.

"Silence!" a deep gravelly voice suddenly called out from beside Sasuke, shocking everyone.

Sasuke blinks and turns to look at his friend beside him. Naruto's features were more feral looking than usual with dark orange-red eyes and vertical pupils. It even looked like his teeth had elongated into sharp fangs. He blinked again, stunned by what he was seeing.

"Let her speak, annoying humans," Nine-Tails ordered through Naruto's mouth. Sasuke watched as his arms moved to cross against his chest while the fox's eyes swept across the room to glare at everyone. He could have sworn he saw the shadow of the beast's tails moving lazily on the wall behind him. "I'd like to hear what Naruto's clansman has to say about this jutsu of hers."

Naruto blinked, and he was himself again, his eyes their normal blue now. "Sorry about that," he apologized with a sheepish grin, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Kurama was getting a little impatient, ya know. He was threatening to start eating people."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Loser," he muttered under his breath with a smirk. "Like that's what was really going on."

Naruto grinned. "Shut up."

"You know I'm right."

A throat clearing distracted them from the beginnings of their bickering, and they looked up to see Fumiyo eying them impatiently. She frowned at them before turning away. "As I was saying. This jutsu allows a person to be sent into the past. But only so far. The furthest anybody has gone is twelve hours, and we're well passed that now. Obviously."

"How do you know that's the limit?" Gaara asked.

A bland smile curls at her mouth. "Because I've used it."

"You never told me this!" Tsunade gasped. "You and Grandmother both said that the Heavenly Body Sealing Technique had _never_ been successfully performed. That only one of our Uzumaki ancestors had ever been able to do it." She grasped Fumiyo's hand in her own and started to poke and prod at her arm the way Sasuke had seen Sakura did when she was examining a patient. "The body of the person who cast the jutsu unsuccessfully was always shredded to pieces, the chakra pathways destroyed or simply just gone. Like they'd been ripped out. You showed no signs of this when I saw you last."

Tsunade lowered Fumiyo's arm and stared at her in awe. "This is incredible," she breathed out.

"Yes," she readily agreed, gently pulling her arm from the other woman's grip. "But it doesn't change the fact that it's an extremely dangerous forbidden jutsu that's well passed being a viable option at this point in time."

Chaos broke out again as the shinobi in the room begun bombarding Fumiyo with questions and making demands for her to teach them the jutsu. As it quickly escalated, Kakashi quickly ended the war council.

Sasuke and Naruto escorted Fumiyo from the room and out of the building. By some miracle they'd made it all the way back to what remained of Naruto and Hinata's house without being followed. Inside Sakura and Hinata were sat at the dining table nursing cups of tea in front of them. Both women looked up at their arrival, abandoning whatever conversation they were having.

Without any hesitation, Sakura shoved away from the table and threw herself at Sasuke. Prepared, he easily caught her and held her tight against his chest, burying his nose in her soft hair. The familiar smell of antiseptic immediately assaulted his senses, letting him know she'd spent the last few hours treating the wounded, and he sighed, hugging his wife closer to him.

Getting attacked by that Ōtsutsuki clansman three weeks into their new life as husband and wife was the last thing Sasuke had expected to happen when they'd left Konoha. The only things on his mind were his immense happiness that Sakura had agreed to marry him despite his immeasurable flaws and the thought of the children they would have.

It was all like a distant memory now, though.

One minute they were walking through a quiet grove of trees near the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water, discussing what they were going to have for dinner that night, and the next it was chaos.

He remembered every single detail of what had happened with sharp clarity, but it was Sakura's expression when they'd realized what was really happening that stuck with him. Resolve mixed with fury and something he didn't dare want to believe was fear had spread across her face when she'd released her yin seal. And the worst part was that Sasuke knew that it wasn't for herself.

If his life was in danger and she was there to witness it, Sakura wouldn't hesitate to defend him. She would fight until her last dying breath to prevent anything happening to him regardless of the danger to her own life.

He loved that about her, but he also hated it.

She didn't seem to understand that if she got hurt – _or worse –_ trying to protect him it would tear him apart.

If Sakura _died_...No. He didn't even want to contemplate the thought.

Sasuke tightened his arm around her shoulders and hugged Sakura tighter to him before releasing her. Her arms lingered around his neck for a moment afterwards and he watched her watch him before she finally lifted up on her toes to press a soft kiss to his lips that he eagerly returned. Sakura pulled away first and he watched with pleasure as a blush overtook her face.

"How was the war council?" she asked after a moment, her face still slightly pink.

Before he can say, Fumiyo answers for him. "Terrible," she declared agitatedly, tying the long sleeves of her yukata back. "It was terrible and ultimately pointless. We made no progress toward ending this war." She sighs loudly as she pulls her long red hair back with a scowl. "And to top it off, I said something I shouldn't have."

Naruto sat at the table with Hinata in his lap. "It probably would have come out eventually no matter what, Auntie," he said with a shake of his head.

Her scowl deepened. "I still shouldn't haven't have said it," she repeated as she washed her hands. "Now I'm going to have people bothering me left and right about the damn thing."

"I wouldn't be surprised if someone came tonight," Sasuke remarked, rolling his eyes. There had been quite a few shinobi in that room who looked desperate enough to ask despite Fumiyo's dismissal of using the jutsu. They were fools. Like she had said, it was already too late to do it. And that was assuming they didn't kill themselves performing the jutsu in the first place.

Sakura looked between the three of them in confusion, her brow slightly furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"A forbidden fūinjutsu of my clan," Fumiyo sighed as she tied a clean apron around her waist. She opened the refrigerator and took out some vegetables. "Shikamaru said something about reversing time and the conversation led to me opening my mouth and mentioning that I had used a jutsu that could do that," she explained as she moved from the sink to the chopping board at her elbow. "So, I apologize in advance for any unwelcome guests we may have."

"I'm sure it won't be as bad you think," Hinata tried to reassure as she stood to help Fumiyo with dinner. "Maybe they'll be kind enough not to bother us at home."

But Sasuke could hear the doubt in her voice. She didn't believe that any more than the rest of them.

"Hn," he grunted, "We'll see."

* * *

In the days that followed, a never-ending stream of shinobi would show up at Naruto and Hinata's doorstep demanding to speak with Fumiyo. They came at dawn before anyone had even thought about leaving for the day. They would follow them around the village and lie in wait until the opportunity to ambush her would arise. If they were at home, they would take turns knocking on the door to see who would get in.

Just so she could leave the house, Auntie Fumiyo needed to disguise herself as either Hinata, Sakura or Sasuke. And with the number of people showing up unannounced, everyone would take turns answering the door while Fumiyo pretended not to be there. Because of this the lawn was now covered with new craters and the trees were half uprooted. And if Naruto wasn't paying attention, he'd walk right past his own home because of the massive genjutsu Sasuke would put up around it. But more often than not he would return from his patrol of the barrier to find some poor shinobi screaming their head off as they ran away from the Uchiha.

After dinner one night a week after the war council, Naruto was sitting beside his aunt as she demonstrated how to create special storage scrolls that needed keys in order to open them. She was explaining to him and Hinata that it utilized their clan's unique sealing technique, pointing out the familiar swirl pattern of the Uzumaki clan symbol at the center, when there was a knock at the door.

"Naruto, it's your turn," Sakura called out without looking up from the scroll in her lap.

He nodded, pressing a quick kiss to Hinata's temple as he stood. "Yeah, I know."

"Don't scare them too badly," Hinata whispered softly and he agreed.

As Naruto slowly made his way to the front door, he heard a low huff of irritation at the back of his mind. _"This is getting old,"_ Kurama grumbled. He could picture the old fox rolling his eyes. _"You'd think they'd have learned by now..."_

He let out a low sigh. "They're desperate, Kurama," he said as he prepared for the switch. "They think Fumiyo's jutsu will save them."

" _Then they're fools,"_ the fox decided.

Naruto and Kurama switched as he reached out to open the door. But when they finally do, they're both stunned into silence when they see who it is.

"Hokage," Kurama says, surprised, as they stare.

Kakashi shook his head at the use of his title. "I'm not here as the Hokage right now," he said with a wave. "Just as your old sensei." When they say nothing, Kakashi finally takes a good look at the person standing in front of him. His brow furrowed for a second and his eyes widened. "Nine-Tails?"

Kurama nodded. "Hokage," he greeted before switching with Naruto again.

"So, the rumors are true then," Kakashi said, glancing over at the destroyed lawn.

Naruto laughed sheepishly as he stepped back to let him inside. "Yeah, after all the trouble the first day we kinda got a little frustrated. Fumiyo can't even leave the house without disguising herself as one of the others, you know."

"But not as you because of your massive chakra signature," Kakashi guessed as he followed Naruto into the living room. "I didn't realize it was this bad."

Fumiyo snorted as she put down her brush. "Of course it is, Lord Sixth. Everyone believes the Heavenly Body Sealing Technique will send them back to a time when this war wasn't happening even though it'll probably kill them." She pulled a new scroll from the pile and unrolled it. "I hope you haven't come to ask about it too."

"Well, actually..." Kakashi begun, scratching at the back of his head.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him.

A frown spread across Naruto's face as he silently wondered whether he was going to have to kick his old sensei – _the Hokage_ – out of his home. He really didn't want to do that, but he would if he had to. From the little his great aunt had told him about their clan's forbidden jutsu, it was clear that it was extremely dangerous and all but useless now even if it was performed correctly. And now that Kakashi had come, Naruto shared Fumiyo's wish of never mentioning the jutsu.

"You can't be serious," Sasuke demanded, turning to glare at Kakashi from his seat next to Sakura on the couch. "You should know better."

Kakashi shook his head vigorously. "No, no, no. I don't want to know how to perform the jutsu," he reassured. "I just have a question about it. Or rather something adjacent to it."

Fumiyo silently eyed Kakashi, her fingers steepled beneath her chin. An unreadable expression crossed her face that Naruto couldn't decipher. He had half expected her to attack him and throw him out of the house with a short burst of anger that rivaled Sakura's wrath. But this lack of emotion seemed worse. It was almost like he was waiting for a paper bomb to go off.

"What is it you want to ask?" she finally said.

"Could you create a new sealing jutsu like the Heavenly Body Sealing Technique?" Kakashi asked, stepping forward to stand in front of her. "One that could send the caster further into the past?"

"You've spent the last week talking to Tsunade, haven't you?" Fumiyo wondered, tipping her head to the side as she continued to stare at him. "Let me guess. She told you all the gruesome details about the bodies of the shinobi who attempted to steal the jutsu that surfaced during our youth. And I bet she speculated about why I was able to successfully cast it." A smile curved at her mouth. "Am I right?"

He nodded readily. "Yes. And she reminded me that you were well known for creating new sealing techniques."

"Tell me…Is this the Hokage ordering me to make this fūinjutsu or is this Kakashi Hatake making a formal request of the Uzumaki clan?" Fumiyo smiled again and it almost seemed threatening to Naruto. "Which is it?"

"Auntie—"

She silenced him with a look. "Answer my question, Kakashi, and I may give you the answer you seek to your own."

"Hypothetically," Kakashi begun, "if it was an order, what would you do?"

"I'd do something unforgivable because I'd believe the jutsu would be abused in some unimaginable way – much like the Heavenly Body Sealing Technique – considering the air of desperation among us…That's hypothetically, of course," she said with false cheer.

"And if it was a request?"

Fumiyo straightens in her seat, her violet eyes serious. "I'd tell you that I can just as easily accept your request as I could deny it, Kakashi," she told him, carefully folding her hands in front of her. "I'd recognize that you had taken the time to consider what it was that you were really asking me to do. And as a proud member of the Uzumaki clan, assuming I accepted the request, I'd ensure that the seal I produced was tailored to your specifications to the best of my abilities and worked the way it was designed to while eliminating any danger to the caster."

Kakashi answered immediately with no hesitation. "Then, Lady Uzumaki, I wish to formally ask you to create a jutsu that will send the people in this room back to a time before this war in order to prevent it from happening." He bowed deeply at the waist as he said this before straightening again to look Fumiyo in the eye.

"And does this include you?"

"No, but it includes you, Lady Fumiyo."

Sakura jumped to her feet, her medical scrolls crashing to the floor. "Why not?" she demanded. "Why won't you come with us?"

Kakashi smiled behind his mask. "I'm still the Hokage, Sakura. The people in this village will need me on the off chance you fail," he told her softly.

She stepped forward to argue some more but Sasuke silently stopped her. Naruto wanted to argue too but knew he couldn't. He'd make the same decision no matter how much it hurt in the end.

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" Hinata questioned, speaking for the first time since Kakashi had arrived. "It almost seems wrong. Like we're running away."

"I don't know," he admitted after a moment. "But it's the only long-term solution I can think of to end this war."

Fumiyo abruptly stood. "Then I accept your request, Kakashi Hatake," she declared. "And for compensation, I want you to put an end to my unwanted visitors."

"Done," he readily agreed, shoulders slumping in relief. "I'll leave all decisions in your hands, Lady Fumiyo." They shook hands to seal their agreement and Kakashi left after saying his goodbyes.

Once he was gone, Fumiyo cleared the table until only her ink and brushes remained along with the largest of the blank scrolls. She unrolled it with a flick of her wrist and cracked her knuckles before scooping up her brush. Her violet gaze swept across the four faces standing in front of her before settling on Naruto and Hinata with a gleam of excitement in her eye.

"So, are you two ready to use everything I taught you?"

* * *

It took a month to make the seal.

The days had steadily grown darker and bleaker as the war dragged on and the two attacks on Konoha during that time hadn't helped. The number of casualties had increased, leaving behind only half of their overall numbers and even fewer able-bodied shinobi. And the worst part was that there seemed to be no end in sight.

Everything came to a head when the barrier protecting the village was finally destroyed. They came from all directions and every ninja still capable of fighting went out to face them. Half of their forces was destroyed in a matter of minutes until only the strongest among them remained.

But they knew it wouldn't be enough.

"Naruto! Sasuke!" Kakashi's voice shouted above the chaos. "Go! Get the others and go!"

Naruto slammed back his opponent, sending her flying into one of her comrades. "Sasuke!" he yelled as he created a Shadow Clone also in Six Paths Sage Mode. "Find Sakura and meet me at the house." He and his clone both kicked away their newest attacker before darting away in opposite directions without waiting for the Uchiha's reply.

The jinchūriki immediately found his wife's chakra signature amongst the chaos. He followed it, dodging and deflecting the blows sent his way from the Ōtsutsukis that tried attacking him, until he finally spotted her. She was fighting side by side with Hanabi and Hiashi, her Byakugan activated and blood dripping from her temple.

He sped up and scooped her up in his arms, turning them in the direction of their home. "Naruto," she gasped as they flew through the air. Her arms tightened around his neck. "What's going on?"

"It's time to go," he tells her quietly as they sped through the destroyed village.

They finally reach what remains of their house and Naruto gently lands them in the backyard. His clone appeared beside them barely a second later with Fumiyo at his side before dispelling with a pop.

She quickly scanned the yard while Naruto placed Hinata back on her feet. "Where are Sasuke and Sakura?" she asked.

A loud explosion sounded somewhere across the village before either of them could answer. They turn to look toward the eastern gate and witness as Sasuke's fully formed Susanoo released a massive fireball jutsu from its mouth before manifesting a sword to slash at whatever was in its path. The avatar lifted into the air after finishing the blow. It flew in their direction and hovered over them for a second before disappearing. Sakura, her face and body covered in seals, slung Sasuke's arm around her shoulders as they rapidly plummeted to the ground.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. _Too fast._ He gathered chakra in his hand and reached into the sky with a chakra arm and grabbed them.

"We need to go before it's too late," Sasuke said, still leaning heavily on Sakura. Blood dripped from the eye holding his Rinnegan and there was a new wound across his chest.

Sakura tightened her hold around Sasuke's waist. "It's steadily getting worse out there."

Another explosion rocked the ground beneath them and Naruto re-entered Kurama Mode. "Let's do this!" He quickly transferred his chakra to each of them so that they were all enveloped in a cloak of it.

The five of them gathered in a circle and Fumiyo met each of their gazes. "Remember, the jutsu isn't perfect. Be prepared for any side effects when we get to the other side. That and don't mess up your hand seals."

Sasuke wiped the blood under his eye away with the back of his hand. "And don't forget what we need to do once we get there."

Without saying anything more, Fumiyo led them in forming the hand seals for the fūinjutsu. Their fingers flew through each of the one hundred signs in the sequence required to form the seal until they finally made the last one. As they held their hands in the Tora position, they shouted "Seal!" The sealing formula extends out from their palms and snakes up their arms and spreads to wrap around the rest of their bodies.

It burns as it seeps deep into their skin and goes all the way down to their chakra pathways. A whimper of pain sounds beside him and Naruto's eyes snap open to instantly land on Hinata beside him. Her face is twisted in pain and he desperately wanted to reach out to comfort her but doesn't dare disrupt the jutsu.

"I know it hurts," Fumiyo ground out through her teeth. "But you have to endure. We all do."

As she says this, the burning pain reaches its peak and Naruto screams, but he forces himself to remain standing. His vision blurs and at the back of his mind he hears Kurama encouraging him to keep going.

But then the pain suddenly disappears and relief floods Naruto. His eyes drift back closed, and he wakes to find himself standing in his mindscape.

Kurama's curled up in front of him with his massive head resting on his paws. He lazily opens one bright red eye to peer at his jinchūriki. "Don't worry, Naruto," he reassures. "We'll see each other again."

Feeling like he's in a fog, Naruto slowly makes his way to the kitsune before leaping up to stand on his head. He curls up in the thick orange fur and the last thing he sees before falling unconscious is the thick string of sealing formula coiled on his palm with the Uzumaki swirl at its center.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

 **Retrograde**

 **Chapter Two**

It was raining when the woman finally made it to Amegakure, unsurprising considering the name of the village. Her sharp gaze quickly took in the tall industrialized buildings, noting the abundance of lightning rods that dotted the roofs and the never-ending strings of cables that ran between the buildings supplying power. At ground level there was very little movement except at the checkpoint where she spotted four shinobi standing vigilant and ready to move at a moment's notice.

The woman stood in the shadows at the very edge of the massive lake Ame resided in. Instead of the bright colored kimonos and yukutas she normally favored, she was dressed in a nondescript black long sleeve shirt with matching pants and a gray haori. The outfit was reminiscent of the one she would wear during the Second War, but she'd worn a standard flak jacket instead of a haori with her hitai-ate tied around her neck. She hoped it was bland enough to keep anyone from identifying the village she belonged to.

One of the shinobi at the checkpoint suddenly moved and her eyes narrowed as she tracked his movements. But he only turned to the man beside him to exchange a few words with him.

Not wanting to take the chance that one of them might have sensed her despite erasing her chakra signature, her hands moved to form the appropriate seals. _Inu. I. Hitsuji._ The transformation turned her bright red hair blonde, her eyes to a dull brown, and gave her the face of someone half her age.

She needed a mirror to be sure, but she probably looked a little like her distant cousin. Hopefully it was enough to help in her mission despite the risk.

The mission itself was uncertain at best. Although she had rushed straight to Ame without stopping the moment she'd woken, there was no way of telling whether or not she had arrived in time. She was either much too early or far too late. It was even possible that the mission was well underway, and she was standing around waiting for nothing.

Almost as if to prove her right a massive tremor rocked through the village, sending an aftershock through the lake water beneath her feet. She immediately spotted the area where the disturbance came from and saw a gigantic bird with a strange beak circling overhead before suddenly diving. Even from this distance she could recognize the distinctive purple ring pattern of the Rinnegan in the summoning creature's eye.

"Jiraiya," the woman murmured softly to herself before slipping into the water.

A few moments later she surfaced beside the dilapidated buildings at the source of the explosion. Debris and fragments of concrete and steel pipes littered the water and directly in front of her stood five shinobi wearing black cloaks with a red cloud pattern marking them as Akatsuki. Thankfully, she was hidden in a blind spot to their shared vision as they scanned the surrounding waters for Jiraiya.

Her eyes flicked across the water and within seconds she spotted his long white hair as he swam to the surface. She immediately dives back underwater and intercepts him, clamping her hand down on his shoulder. Jiraiya reacts reflexively and turns to lash out at her but freezes. His eyes widen in shock as he took in her false face and she knows he can see her cousin looking back at him. But she's too busy taking in his condition, noting the missing arm and the toad attached to his shoulder eying her suspiciously. Two bloody puncture wounds are visible on his chest and there's blood spilling down his mouth, too. He's not as bad as she'd thought he'd be but still worse than she would have liked.

Her cousin's name formed on his mouth and she did bother trying to correct him. Instead, she signaled to him that the remaining Six Paths of Pain were just above them. Resolve flared in his eyes and he shook off her hand to swim to the surface. With no other choice, she followed him.

She surfaced behind him next to one of the outcroppings in the water, already preparing her jutsu just as Lord Fukasaku produced a fūma shuriken and flung it at one of the Pains. As expected the Rinnegan bearers react. One of them dove into the water to grab Jiraiya, but she's faster.

She slams her palms down against the water, creating a massive wave that lifts her and Jiraiya both high into the air and slams against the Pains closest to them. The Pains get thrown back by the force of her jutsu and once the wave brings her high enough into the air, she releases her next jutsu without any hand seals. "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" she shouts, and the massive dragon shoots out to attack one of the three remaining Pains. It coils its body around in the air before striking and swallowing him whole, trapping him in its watery belly.

Movement out of the corner of her eye catches her attention and she shoved Jiraiya back, producing a fūma shuriken of her own from the pouch at the small of her back. She released it just in time to counter the one aimed at them and dropped back into the water with Jiraiya and Fukasaku. But just as they're about to break the surface an unseen force stopped them, forcefully dragging them through the air in the direction of one of the Pains.

"I do not know who you are, woman, nor where you came from," Pain said, holding them suspended in the air in front of him. "But know that you will die here today together with Master Jiraiya." And without preamble, he sent them back out across the water.

She hit the surface of the water bluntly and let out a sharp cry of pain as her arm was shoved out of its socket from the awkward angle she'd landed on before continuing to harshly tumble and roll. Her teeth bit into the flesh of her lip, drawing blood as she forced herself to grab the back of Jiraiya's bloodstained haori and pull him closer to her just as a barrage of chakra receiver rods rained down on them. The Wind Style jutsu she releases from her mouth lessens the blow and stops them from landing on their target, but two still pierce Jiraiya square in the chest and another nearly grazes her thigh.

"Jiraiya-boy!" Fukasaku exclaimed as she forcefully dragged them beneath the surface.

Even more blood poured out of Jiraiya's mouth as they sunk deeper toward the bottom of the lake. His eyes drooped further and further closed as the old toad sage began to panic. Fukasaku detached himself from his student's shoulder and begun to slap the man across the face to keep him awake.

With Jiraiya rapidly losing consciousness, she quickly kneaded chakra in her stomach again and forced out a massive gust of wind from her mouth that created a small pocket of air around them. Lord Fukasaku's worried yelling immediately fills the space and she ignores him to bring her good arm to her mouth. She pressed her thumb to her teeth and wasted no time biting into the calloused flesh before shouting, "Summoning Jutsu!"

Just as the water around them refills the space, a massive hawk appeared below them. She grabbed the beast's feathers the best she could with her injured arm while looping her good one around Jiraiya's. At her signal the summoning hawk shot through the water in the opposite direction of the Pains before finally careening upward. They burst out of the very edge of the lake surrounding Ame moments later and the woman's head whips around to search behind them as they soar through the air.

Unnervingly, there's no movement from the village. No Pain. No pursuers. Nothing. She can only hope that they think she and Jiraiya drowned, but she's doubtful.

"Hiroto!" she shouted urgently over the whipping winds, "Take us to the Leaf!"

"Yes, my Lady," the hawk replied.

She turned her attention to Jiraiya's semi-conscious body beside her, taking in his shallow breathing and the blood flowing freely from his various injuries. "Can you take those out?" she asked, eying the rods protruding from the Sannin.

Lord Fukasaku nodded. "Yes," he murmured before carefully pulling them from Jiraiya. "They were disrupting his chakra," the toad sage told her. He turned back to her with that suspicious look in his eyes again. "Who are you child? Why did you help Jiraiya-boy?"

She forcefully pops her shoulder back into its socket with gritted teeth. The sudden, sharp pain that radiates out across her body disrupted her focus and puts an end to her transformation, revealing her true face. "I'm Fumiyo," she told him, biting into her thumb again, "Fumiyo Uzumaki. I've known Jiraiya since we were young." Fumiyo made the appropriate hand seals and slammed her hand down in front of her before firmly shouting, "Summoning Jutsu!"

A small cloud formed beside her and when the smoke cleared two red pandas wearing matching green kimono-style shirts with the Uzumaki clan symbol on their backs stood before her. The only difference between the two was that one had long traditional sleeves with a white obi while the other was sleeveless with a blue obi. Without giving them the chance to say their usual greetings Fumiyo started issuing orders.

"Shinta, go to the Hokage at once," she told the one with the blue obi as she held her palms over Jiaraiya's chest to begin healing his wounds with the little medical ninjutsu she knew. "Tell her that Master Jiraiya was gravely injured during his mission in the Hidden Rain and that I'm bringing him home."

The red panda bowed. "Of course, Lady Fumiyo," he said before disappearing with a pop in another cloud of smoke.

Fumiyo pulled her palms away once the blood was staunched and proceeded to start rapidly weaving hand seals. "Kazane, help me apply the seals," she ordered as she formed the last hand seal before placing her hand against the stump of Jiraiya's arm. "Seal!" The sealing formula extended out from beneath her palm and the strings of kanji, katakana letters and other symbols spread across the flesh to apply pressure and seal the wound temporarily.

"What mess have you gotten yourself into now, Fumiyo?" Kazane demanded, little clawed paws rapidly forming the same pattern of hand seals as her.

She ignored her. "My Lord," Fumiyo said to Fukasaku, "I'm sure the summoning contract has nearly run out. You should return home. Please leave Master Jiraiya in my care until I can get him to Lady Tsunade."

The toad sage remained silent, watching as she and Kazane continued applying seals to Jiraiya's wounds. "Thank you. For saving him," he finally says before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Kazane applied the last seal on Jiraiya's back and Fumiyo gently laid him back down. The summoning animal crossed her arms, glaring up at her mistress. "What happened? Are you hurt? How did Master Jiraiya get these injuries?"

"It's a long story, Kazane," Fumiyo sighed tiredly. She reached into her pouch to pull out one of her storage scrolls and quickly unsealed it. A new dark green haori with the Uzumaki clan symbol on the back along with a black hitai-ate marking her as a Leaf shinobi appeared. With a wince Fumiyo replaced her wet haori before sealing it back into the scroll.

She carefully tied her long red hair back into a ponytail before tying her hitai-ate to her forehead. Fumiyo glanced up to stare at the horizon when she was done, if only to avoid Kazane's annoyed glare and her prying questions. All she saw was a never-ending canopy of trees ahead as Hiroto flew them to Konoha that gradually became thicker and thicker the closer they got to the village.

Her mind wandered as she watched the leaves sway in the wind and she silently wondered where the kids were right now. She wondered if they had reunited yet or were currently searching for each other. Fumiyo hoped that they were together but knowing how close those four were it wouldn't be long before they found their way back to one another if they hadn't already.

The thought brought a smile to her face and she settled in for the rest of the flight home.

* * *

Hinata kept a steady pace behind Naruto as they ran through the trees with the rest of the group.

When she came to, she was instantly relieved that the seal had sent her back to the exact moment in time they had intended to return to. She was running with the rest of the team that was originally deployed to track down Itachi, but after a few seconds she'd realized that they were now at the point of the mission where they were pursuing Sasuke. This was both good and bad. It meant the seal she, Naruto, and Fumiyo had spent a month working on had worked for her, but it also meant that she couldn't tell if the same could be said about Naruto and Sakura. They were both less than a meter away from her, but with the others around she couldn't ask them.

The only thing she could do was look.

She activated her Byakugan and scanned Naruto's chakra pathway. It looked normal, or at least normal for him. But there was something about it that seemed different. Like something was missing.

Hinata could only hope that whatever was different wasn't caused by the seal. They'd made sure to make it even numbered as a precaution, but Fumiyo had said that because of its nature she didn't know if it would even make a difference. And if it did something to Naruto's chakra, and by extension to Kurama, it made her wonder if it had done something to Sakura's or Sasuke's. Or to her own.

But she couldn't worry about that now.

"Hinata, are you sure you don't see anything?" Kiba suddenly asked.

Hinata reactivated her Byakugan and took a quick look around. To her surprise, she could still see twenty or so kilometers around her like she could before waking in the past. She scanned the dense forest surrounding them for Sasuke but didn't see his chakra signature anywhere around them. The only ones of note were their own.

She made to tell them that when she saw Naruto suddenly lose his balance. His chakra flared unnaturally and then he was falling.

"Naruto!"

Hinata dove and caught him around the waist meters before he hit the ground. She landed at the base of the closest tree and gently laid him on his back before taking another look at his chakra again as the others rushed over.

Sakura got to them first, her hands already glowing with chakra. "Do you see anything?" she asked quietly.

Hinata quickly searched her gaze before looking to her unconscious husband again. "His chakra was briefly disrupted right before he fell," she told her just as quietly. "It looks okay now, but…I don't know. There's still something wrong…Maybe from the seal."

"Well, he's not hurt physically," Sakura murmured, pulling her hands away from his chest.

"Is he alright?"

Both girls froze for half a second before glancing over their shoulders. Kakashi stood just behind them, concern written across what little of his face was visible. Captain Yamato and Sai flanked him on either side with Shino, Kiba, and Akamaru just behind them.

"He's not hurt as far as I can tell, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura told him. "But I don't know what's wrong with him."

He nodded, peering past them to look at Naruto before turning his attention on Hinata. "Good job catching him. I didn't even see him start to falter."

She turned back to look at Naruto. "I only noticed because—" His eyes suddenly twitched, and she paused to lean over him. "…Naruto?" she whispered softly.

Naruto suddenly let out a shout that made her jump as his eyes snapped open. They stared at each other in shock for only a second before he threw his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. "Hinata," he sighed as she hugged him back.

"Are you okay?" she asked, tightening her hold around his waist.

He nodded once and pressed his lips to her ear and she has to strain to hear him. "Only half of Kurama is sealed inside of me again. And Dad's seal is back, too."

She frowns but isn't surprised. "Then it's like Fumiyo thought," she whispers back.

A cough sounds behind them and they jumped apart. Hinata turned away, her face bright red, while Naruto smiled sheepishly as he rubbed at the back of his neck. "Sorry about that, Hinata," he apologizes for their audience. "I kinda just grabbed you." He leans around to peer at her face and she can see the teasing smile that the others can't. "Are you alright?"

"Oh!" She jumps back too dramatically judging by the snort of laughter Sakura disguises as a cough. "Um, yes. I-I'm okay. Are you though? You just suddenly fell."

Kakashi crouched beside them. "What happened, Naruto?"

"One of my shadow clones found Sasuke," he revealed with an annoyed scowl. "He'd put it under genjutsu before dispelling him. It caught me off guard and I fell." Naruto jumped to his feet, pulling Hinata up with him. "We need to get to him before he kills Itachi."

The silver haired jōnin nodded as he stood. "You're right. We're wasting time standing around here."

Naruto formed the clone seal and four shadow clones popped into existence. He pointed west. "Scout ahead for us, guys," he ordered and they each saluted him before taking off into the trees.

"Let's go," Kakashi said and they followed him through the forest, running at full speed.

Naruto ran at the head of the group beside Kakashi with Hinata and Sakura flanking him on either side. Hinata silently ran through the plan again in her head. It certainly wasn't enough to stop their opponent, not with what they knew about him, but hopefully it would be enough to scare him off. But with the old seal back in place, Hinata wondered if she and Naruto would even be able to perform that jutsu now.

Even if they were able to pull it off, it would probably raise suspicion on all three of them from Kakashi and Captain Yamato. But that was a risk they were willing to take, even if it got them thrown into I&T.

Hinata looked ahead again, immediately spotting the four identical chakra signatures belonging to Naruto's clones lying in wait. Beyond them though was a strange, unfamiliar one lurking in the gnarled trees ahead of them.

"There's someone up ahead," she called out.

Naruto jumped back mid leap just as the masked man wearing an Akatsuki cloak stepped out from his hiding place.

"Howdy!" Tobi greeted with a wave as Hinata, Sakura, and the others caught up. "Well, now. How's it going there...there...and there? Imagine running into Hidden Leaf folks in a place like this...and it's two, four, six, eight against one." He laughed nervously. "Heh, heh. What bad luck!"

Kakashi and Captain Yamato started talking strategy, pointing out that Tobi was also an Akatsuki member that wasn't on the roster list Kabuto had given them. Kiba made some sarcastic comment that went mostly ignored while Tobi continued to verbally toy with them.

"Don't be rash," Kakashi warned. "We need to wait and see. Study the situation first. We do have a numbers advantage."

"Oh, dear. Am I being underestimated by you guys?" Tobi wondered aloud.

Hinata ignored him and watched with her Byakugan as three of Naruto's clones fell back while the last one dropped down directly above Tobi with a Rasengan in his hand. As expected, Tobi disappeared just as the clone was about to hit him and reappeared a few meters away. The clone pulled out a kunai to attack again but was kicked away and dispelled once it hit the real Naruto. He dropped into the lake and furiously burst out a second later with a splash to stand on its surface.

The confrontation continued to remain mostly the same as before just as they had planned. Formation B led to the same conclusion as Hinata remembered and while the team dodged Tobi's odd game of whack-a-mole, she and Sakura switched places with two of Naruto's shadow clones transformed to look like them.

The three of them stood high above on a tree limb overlooking the others. Sakura cracked her knuckles while they observed the scene below them. "Do you still think you guys will be able to do that jutsu?" she asked, readjusting her gloves.

Hinata met Naruto's gaze, his eyes now yellow and toad-like with orange markings around them. "What do you think?"

"I think we'll manage," he said with a small smile, tapping a finger under one of his transformed eyes.

She held out her hand and activated her Byakugan yet again. "So do I," she agreed as he took her hand.

"Then let's get this over with so we can meet up with Sasuke," Sakura said with a faint smirk before leaping away to get into position.

While they waited for their moment to strike, Hinata watched as Naruto's clones and the others tried to land a blow. They each failed one by one before falling back to regroup. But then the Sakura clone broke from the group to punch Tobi straight in the face.

"Uh, uh, uh, I can't let you do that!" Tobi taunted as he grabbed the clone's wrist before the hit could land and tossed her. Naruto's remaining shadow clones leapt forward to catch the third and all three dispelled with a pop and a cloud of white smoke. "Shadow clones?" he questioned confused, cocking his head to the side. "When did that happen?"

Before anyone could react, the real Sakura dropped down from her tree limb, ready to land a chakra-enhanced blow. "Shannarō!"

As expected, her punch passes harmlessly through him to create a deep crater in the earth behind him. But Naruto and Hinata are already in motion. Just as Sakura is in the middle of passing through him and Tobi's distracted by her attempt, they drop down from behind. Where their hands meet and their chakra's combined, a large, dense lion's head is formed and within it rests a Rasengan.

"Try and dodge this!"

Although Tobi did dodge at the last second, their hit still lands, aided by Naruto's senjutsu, and he's sent flying so far back that they can no longer see him.

Hinata quickly searched around for his chakra. "He's gone," she reported, slightly relieved.

"Good," Sakura grunted as she jumped out of her crater. "One less obstacle between us and Sasuke."

"What was that?" The three of them freeze and turn to look at Kakashi. He stares at them with his uncovered eye, confused and slightly suspicious. His gaze travels down to look at her and Naruto's still joined hands and Hinata pulls away, her face turning warm.

A bemused smile spread across Naruto's as he stared back at Kakashi. "What was what?" he asked cluelessly.

"That jutsu you and Hinata just used," Captain Yamato said, stepping forward to look at them too.

"Oh, that!" Naruto exclaimed with exaggeration. Sakura turned and rolled her eyes so that only Hinata could see. "I'd just seen Hinata practicing her new jutsu and I thought we should combine it with my Rasengan to create a new one together."

"When did you find the time to train?" Kakashi asked incredulously.

Naruto grinned, scratching at the back of his head. "That was our first time doing that with each other, you know."

Kiba laughs like it's the most hilarious thing he's ever heard until Shino silently drives his elbow into his ribs.

Kakashi ignored them and turned to Hinata. "Is this true, Hinata?"

She nodded. "Yes, Kakashi-sensei."

There must be something in her expression that makes him doubt her because his gaze lingers on her face a moment longer than necessary before he finally nodded. Thankfully, Sakura noticed and placed her hand on Hinata's shoulder, squeezing gently. "Well, all that matters is that Naruto's plan worked and now we can get back to finding Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei."

At her words, he nodded, looking back in the direction Tobi had previously been blocking. "You're right. Let's go," he ordered before leaping away.

The three of them shared a sigh of relief before following him with the rest of the group.

"That was close," Hinata sighed softly as they continued travelling again.

Naruto nodded sharply once, his mouth set in a hard line. "The real test will be when we finally meet up with Sasuke."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

 **Retrograde**

 **Chapter Three**

The Hokage sat at her desk biting worriedly at her thumb. Anxiety and fear ate at her as she hid behind the stacks of paperwork Shizune had dropped off that morning. Jiraiya had been gone for only a few days, but the rumors about Amegakure were worrisome. Every hidden village, no matter how small, was secretive and protective of its inner workings by nature. But Ame took that to the extreme. She'd never witnessed a shinobi village behave this way, but it was only natural, she supposed, considering its history.

A heavy sigh escaped her and Tsunade reached into the bottom drawer of her desk for the bottle of sake she kept hidden from Shizune. She'd barely taken a sip before a loud pop sounded, followed by a cloud of smoke forming between the piles of paper. The smoke cleared to reveal an anxious-looking red panda wearing a green kimono-style shirt.

"Lady Tsunade! Lady Tsunade!" he cried. "It's Master Jiraiya!"

She shoved the sake bottle back into the drawer with a bang. "What about Master Jiraiya?" she demanded. "Is he alright?"

The little red panda scurried closer to her. "He was badly injured in battle, my Lady. During his mission in the Hidden Rain, I believe. Lady Fumiyo saved him, though. She's bringing him back to the Leaf as we speak."

The name catches her off guard, but she doesn't hesitate when she picks up the summoning animal to take a closer look at him. Tsunade ignored his squeak of protest and turned him around a little too roughly. What she saw confirmed her suspicion. Shock ran up her spine, but she forcibly shoved aside her newly jumbled thoughts.

She swung the red panda up to cling to her shoulder as she shoved away from the desk. "Shizune!" she bellowed.

The door slammed open seconds later to reveal Shizune's alert expression. "My Lady?"

"Put a medical team on standby and tell the barrier corps we're going to be expecting an imminent arrival," she ordered. "And warn Izumo and Kotetsu at the gate, too."

Shizune hurried after her down the hallway. "What's happening, Lady Tsunade?"

"Master Jiraiya was critically injured during his mission," she tossed over her shoulder as she left her disciple behind as she made her way upstairs to wait.

Tsunade stood in the middle of the roof, hands on hips, and stared off in the direction of Amegakure. "How is Fumiyo getting Jiraiya here, Shinta?" she asked, glancing at the little creature clinging to her shoulder.

"They're flying on Hiroto's back," he told her.

"Hiroto?"

"He's Lady Fumiyo's hawk summons."

"Ah."

She nodded, her thoughts wandering. It had been years since she'd heard that name. So, so many years. The last time had to have been at least a decade ago. Even longer since Tsunade had seen her face. Rumors had started circulating that someone had seen her jump to her death or that she had died in an altercation with a missing-nin near the Land of Snow. She didn't want to believe either one, but as far as she knew there hadn't been a single reported or unreported sighting of Fumiyo Uzumaki in the last ten years.

"Is she well? Fumiyo, I mean."

Shinta leapt up to stand on her shoulder and leaned down to meet her gaze. "Lady Fumiyo has been in mourning ever since Kushina-chan, Lord Fourth, and their child died," he said, his little face downcast. "She never cries, but Kazane and I know that she's always sad."

Tsunade frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"When she summoned me today, she seemed less sad, though." He sighed. "But that may have just been because she was focused on treating Master Jiraiya…"

Something Shinta said tugged at her mind. She quickly replays their conversation in her mind and her heart nearly stopped. Fumiyo couldn't honestly believe that was the truth. And if she did that explained why she'd never returned to Konoha after the Kyūbi's rampage.

But it didn't make any sense.

Who told her Naruto died? Why did they tell her that? What did they think she would do if she'd raised her great nephew?

The only explanation she can think of is that Sarutobi-sensei believed that she would steal Naruto – and the fox sealed inside of the boy – away from the village.

It made sense on some level, but the thought makes her sick to her stomach. To think that the Third Hokage thought so little of Fumiyo to believe her capable of doing that.

She turns to question Shinta more, but he scurries around to her other shoulder and starts pointing wildly. "Look, look, Lady Tsunade! It's Lady Fumiyo!"

Tsunade followed his gaze and almost immediately spotted the giant brown and black hawk soaring above the trees in the distance. "Hold on tight." She leapt down from the roof and quickly made the journey across the village. They reached the gate just as the hawk landed in front of the desk.

A woman about her age with bright red hair wearing a green haori and a Konoha hitai-ate jumped off the hawk's back with a red panda of her own clinging to her shoulder. "He's here, Tsuna."

She rushed forward to stand beside her and the hawk summons, eager to see him. "Jiraiya!" she cried, tears suddenly stinging at her eyes, as she leaned over his unconscious body. His left arm was cut clean off above the elbow and he was covered in bruises, dried blood, and seals protecting his more serious injuries. "What happened?"

The medical team Shizune put together rushed forward and they stepped back to give them space. They lifted Jiraiya off the hawk's back onto the waiting gurney before rushing off in the direction of the hospital. One remained behind to question Fumiyo about his injuries and Tsunade listened in silent horror as she recounted what had happened.

When she finishes, the medic nods sharply and rushes off, leaving the two women alone.

Fumiyo met her gaze, expression grim. "On our way here, he kept calling out for you, Tsuna," she said, frowning slightly. "But that may have been my fault. My henge probably looked a little like you."

Tsunade choked back a sob. "Thank you for saving him."

A warm hand gripped hers and squeezed tightly. "You don't need to thank me. He's my friend as well, you know," she whispered softly.

She nodded through her tears, uncaring of who saw her right then. "Did he say anything else? Anything about the Akatsuki members he was fighting?" she asked, forcing herself to remain the Hokage and not the concerned friend.

"He kept saying that the real one wasn't there," Fumiyo reported as Shinta jumped from Tsunade's shoulder to cling to the same arm as his sibling. "I don't know what that means, though. And I have some of the rods one of the Pains attacked us with."

Tsunade filed that piece of information away for later as she took the scroll she offered. "Anything else?"

Fumiyo's violet eyes flashed with some emotion too quick for her to identify before turning neutral again. "In between calling out for you, Jiraiya kept begging me to look after and protect his student. Do you—"

A shout cuts her off and the two women turned. Shizune came running up to them with Tonton tightly clutched to her chest. "Lady Tsunade, it's Master Jiraiya. He briefly woke up and is calling for you," she informed her.

She nodded. "I'll be right there."

"Don't worry about me, Tsuna," Fumiyo reassured her with a slightly dismissive wave. "Go on ahead. I can find my way to the hospital. I'm mostly healed anyway."

Tsunade frowned, eyeing the drying blood that ran down her temple beneath her hitai-ate and the way Shinta and Kazane were careful only to cling to her right arm. "That may be true, but knowing you you'll never make it there in the first place." She glanced around them and immediately spotted a familiar face walking in their direction. "Shikamaru," she called out.

Shikamaru slowly made his way over to them, hands deep in his pockets. "What's up, Lady Hokage?" he asked, curiously looking over at her companions.

"This is Lady Fumiyo," she told him. "I need you to make sure she gets to the hospital for treatment. Otherwise, she won't go at all."

Fumiyo let out a deep throaty laugh that made her summons smile. "Just go, Tsunade. I promise not to lose my young escort on our way there."

She scowled at her. "You better not. And, Shikamaru, don't let her out of your sight," she ordered. Tsunade sent them both one last threatening look before running in the direction of the hospital with Shizune on her heels.

* * *

Sasuke glared impassively at the man standing before him.

The man's shark-like features and the massive sword Samehada propped up on his shoulder were two things he hadn't given much thought about nor cared to remember from the last time he'd encountered his brother's Akatsuki partner. Kisame was talking to him, but he didn't care much for what he was saying. The only thing he cared about was that he was blocking his way between him and Itachi by continuing to issue his warning to the others behind him.

He had a mission to complete and didn't need anybody stopping him.

"That's fine," Sasuke said, meeting Kisame's eye. "This is the way it was always supposed to be. The only reason why they're here was to prevent anything from getting in my way."

As expected Karin immediately disagreed. "No, Sasuke! We should all take him down and go in together," she exclaimed.

Kisame chuckled at her outburst. "I have no intention or interest in fighting all of you," he reassured with a flash of his sharp teeth. "But if you insist on going with him, I'll show no mercy."

"That's not something you're going to need to worry about," Sasuke told him as confusion spread across his face. Before Kisame could react, he activated both his Sharingan and his Rinnegan. Kisame's eyes widened in surprise as he took in his red and purple eyes before he leaped back to swing Samehade defensively in front of him.

A strained grin spread across his face. "Those damn eyes," he hissed. "I didn't know you planned to fight me as well, Sasuke."

Sasuke shook his head once while the three behind him began to panic. "I don't," he said, ignoring Suigetsu's demands to know what was going on.

"I see," he ground out before leaping forward to attack.

Sasuke easily sidestepped his blow and merely raised his leg slightly in the air. The former Kiri-nin did all the rest on his own and he watched impassively as he tripped and hit the tiled roof beneath them. Kisame quickly flipped onto his feet away from him, but it was too late. Sasuke was already standing in front of him, waiting. He met Kisame's gaze and put the man under genjutsu.

As Kisame's body fell into a heap at his feet, Sasuke turned his attention to the three standing frozen in shock behind him. He took in each of their expressions and noted that although they were confused and surprised by his sudden attack on the Akatsuki member it was terror that had them recoiling away from him.

"S-Sasuke," Suigetsu stuttered out, "what happened to your eyes, man? They look…different than before. And when did you get so fast?"

Karin anxiously pushed her glasses higher up the bridge of her nose, clutching tightly at her cloak. "The chakra emanating out of you right now is way larger and more powerful than it was a few hours ago," she said with a shiver.

That was no surprise, but to Sasuke it felt like he was down to only more than half, maybe two-thirds, of his normal chakra reserves. Add on top of that he had to actively expend some of it to keep Orochimaru suppressed beneath the Cursed Seal Mark on his neck. He'd been warned that the fūinjutsu wasn't perfect and that seemed to be one of its flaws. Annoying, but manageable. But if the time travel jutsu had caused him to lose some of his chakra during the process, he could only imagine what it had done to Naruto.

He pushed the thought away and let his hand rest on the hilt of his sword. "This is where we part ways," he told them. "You've done what I gathered you to do and now it's time to say goodbye."

Jūgo glared at him. "Are you going to kill us?" he demanded. "Was that always the plan?"

Sasuke chuckled flatly. "I have no reason or desire to kill you, but I don't need you interfering in my final battle with Itachi." And before they had the chance to attack him, he put them under genjutsu too. Suigetsu, Karin, and Jūgo each fell silent, their expressions now blank, as they were trapped in his illusion.

He turned away from them to begin casting the genjutsu trap around the Uchiha hideout but paused. A dark presence pressed against the edge of his senses and he let out a low huff of irritation. Zetsu. He was going to have to reinforce the genjutsu with his Rinnegan to deal with him. It was going to surprise Sakura and the others when they finally arrived, but they were just going to have to deal with it.

Sasuke quickly but carefully cast the genjutsu before turning to finally look at the ancient Uchiha hideout built into one of the mountains behind him. It was much more impressive than the last time he'd seen it. The destructive power of his and Itachi's lighting and fire jutsu during their final battle had completely brought the building down to the ground. It was just a pile of rubble and ruin when he had come back after the war. And he'd been glad it was destroyed. Another piece of his clan's dark history erased and put in the past where it belonged with all the other terrible things so that his and Sakura's future children wouldn't be tormented like he had been.

With a sigh, he deactivated only his Rinnegan and slowly begun making his way inside. He followed the long stone hallway, Itachi's chakra getting stronger and stronger the further he went. It wasn't long before he came upon the old clan meeting hall with the stone throne on its raised platform. As expected, his brother sat waiting for him and it wasn't long before he felt his genjutsu press against his senses.

Sasuke let it draw him into the illusion and continued walking until he stood in the center of the room. "Itachi," he drawled, pulling the bandage around his head away as he tossed aside his traveling cloak. "It's time to end this feud of ours, once and for all."

"Sasuke. How much can you see with those Sharingan of yours?" he asked, ignoring him.

He met Itachi's gaze with a smirk. "More than you could ever imagine," he taunted.

A shadow moved in the corner of his eye and Sasuke watched as what was supposed to be Itachi's clone attacked him. He cast a genjutsu of his own and the clone clashed with his own illusion-self. Their genjutsu fell apart almost immediately and he stepped closer. "That was weak," he scoffed, "I expected more from you. I'm immune to your genjutsu."

Itachi's eyes narrowed. "Is that so?" he questioned softly as he slipped his arm back into the sleeve of his cloak. "I shall be the judge of that." And without any warning he began to send a volley of shuriken at Sasuke.

Even after all this time he was still no match for his brother's shurikenjutsu. So with no other choice he summoned as many as he could from his wrist guards and returned fire. And when the last few pierce the chest of the Itachi standing in front of him, Sasuke's prepared.

He drops down from behind the clone Itachi substituted himself with just as his brother does the same to his own substitution. Realization spread across Itachi's face as Sasuke sent out his fūma shuriken. Just like he remembers, Itachi dodges at the last possible second once he sees the second hidden in the shadow of the first. Remorse filled him as he tugged on the attached wires and the blades fell apart to release his Chidori.

Sasuke watched closely as Itachi dropped to one knee with a groan, a shuriken blade buried deep in his thigh. "Surrender and I'll make it quick, big brother," he told him, offering him an out. He could tell he had already lost some of his vision. And if their battle proceeded anymore like it did before…

"How kind of you," Itachi panted. He slowly removed the blade from his flesh as he struggled back to his feet. "But I'm afraid I must decline."

"Hn," Sasuke frowned. "That's too bad."

Itachi nodded his agreement as he met his gaze, his Mangekyō Sharingan glowing bright. "Yes, it is. But especially for you though. Do you know what happens when one who possesses the Mangekyō continues to use it?" he asked.

Sasuke almost wants to laugh. Of course he knows what happens. "No," he says instead, "I don't."

"You begin to lose the light in your eyes," Itachi explained. "The only way to prevent that from happening is to implant the Sharingan of another. Preferably those belonging to a close blood relative…A sibling is best though." His eyes flashed threateningly and without any warning he rushed forward to slam Sasuke against the wall behind him.

He feigns fear and struggles against his grip as his brother plucked out his left eye. But as he reached out to take the other, Sasuke puts an end to his façade with a tired sigh and broke the Tsukuyomi.

Reality filled his vision again, revealing that barely a second had passed since he'd been caught in the illusion. He stared impassively across the room at his older brother. This charade of his was already growing old. And at this rate, things were just going to keep escalating until they started trading jutsu and Sasuke didn't have the patience for that.

Itachi gasped painfully as he reached up to cover his bleeding eye. He swayed on his feet as he squinted across the room at Sasuke, still clutching at his face. "How did you break free of my Tsukuyomi?" he demanded, staring intently into his Sharingan.

Sasuke smirked. "I'm stronger than you could ever imagine, Itachi," he told him as he slowly moved closer to him. "I told you – I can see more with my Sharingan than yours ever will. I'm not the same little brother you would poke on the forehead and tell him next time." He stopped his advance until only their field of shuriken separated them. "And now I'm going to end this once and for all." His Sharingan bled into his Mangekyō and the familiar flow of chakra behind his left eye brought forth his Rinnegan to rest on top.

Itachi reeled away in shock. He's speechless and while he waits for him to find his voice Sasuke wonders to himself whether or not he too will start to go blind. Fumiyo and Hinata had told him they'd designed part of the seal specifically so that he'd be able to keep his eyes, but he isn't sure. He was going to need to ask Hinata to look at them when they got here.

"S-Sasuke. Where did you get those eyes?" Itachi finally demanded.

A frown pulled at his mouth as he considered his response. The truth wouldn't make any sense to him and would only serve to reveal himself before he was ready to do so. But he didn't want to outright lie to him either. "I obtained these eyes of mine the hard way," he said somberly, lifting his mismatched eyes to meet his red ones. "Through pain and sorrow."

"What do you mean? Tell me."

He shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said, "I don't expect you to forgive me for what I'm about to do, big brother." And before he can respond, Sasuke puts him under genjutsu.

Itachi's face fell slack and his knees gave out underneath him, but Sasuke's there to catch him. He gently laid him down and sat beside him on the floor.

All that he could do now was wait.

* * *

"So, tell us, boy. Who's this student of Master Jiraiya's?" asked the red panda clinging to Lady Fumiyo's shoulder.

Shikamaru looked over at the old woman and her summons. Three pairs of curious eyes stared back at him and he dug his hands deeper into his pants pockets. "His name's Naruto Uzumaki," he told them. "He's out of the village right now on a mission, but I'm sure he and the others will be back soon."

Lady Fumiyo nodded thoughtfully to herself, but he swore there were tears in her eyes. While she remained silent, her summons both let out identical screams of surprise and jumped on top of him. Shikamaru let out a yell of his own as he fell and hit the ground seconds later.

Both summons sat firmly on his chest and showed no signs of going anywhere. "Did you say Uzumaki, boy?" the one with the white obi demanded, sticking her little face in his until their noses almost touched.

"Well, did you?" repeated the other, following the first's lead.

Shikamaru recoiled away reflexively, glancing around them up at Lady Fumiyo but she wasn't any help. "Yeah," he said, "I did. What about it?"

The female – Kazane, he recalls – presses in even closer to his face. "How old is this Naruto? Do you know who his parents are? Are there any other Uzumakis in the village? Well, do you know, boy?"

"Do you know?" Shinta parroted.

"Shikamaru?" a familiar voice called out, thankfully interrupting their interrogation. "Is that you? What are you doing down there, huh?"

He looked passed the red pandas to see Chōji standing off to the side, a bag of potato chips in his hand. "What does it look like I'm doing?" he said, rolling his eyes.

Chōji eyed the scene in confusion before shrugging and eating another chip. "I don't know, man. It just looks like you're playing with some red pandas down there."

He glared in disbelief, but before he could say anything Lady Fumiyo spoke. Her voice was like ice, but behind every word was a frightening burning anger that Shikamaru sensed was worse or on par with Lady Tsunade's or even Sakura's occasional bursts of rage. Fear ran down his spine as self-preservation kicked in and Shikamaru suddenly wished he wasn't here to witness this.

"Kazane, Shinta. Enough. Do you remember the last time you two did this? What you nearly did to those innocent people?" she questioned coldly. "I know you're trying to help, but enough. It's been over fifteen years."

Whatever she's talking about obviously means something to them because their dark little eyes widened in horror as they sat up to stare at Lady Fumiyo. "We're sorry, Lady Fumiyo. Forgive us," they quickly apologized with a deep bow before disappearing with a pop.

She sighed tiredly as Chōji helped Shikamaru up. "I'm sorry about those two. They're just very protective of me," she apologized.

Shikamaru waved her apology away as he dusted himself off. "It's fine. But why'd they go crazy like that?" he asked, carefully watching her expression.

A brittle smile spread across her face and a dark shadow came down over her violet eyes. "Because my name is Uzumaki like Jiraiya's student. And the night the Nine-Tails attacked, my family died protecting the village. I'm the last of my clan…or so we thought."

Shock runs through him and he finds himself unable to respond. What does somebody even say in this situation? The Kyūbi's attack had always been a sore subject for the people in the village, both civilian and shinobi alike. It obviously was for her and he could only imagine what she would do once she found out it was sealed inside of Naruto.

"Are you guys talking about Naruto?" Chōji asks, interrupting his train of thought.

"Master Jiraiya asked me to watch over him," Lady Fumiyo told him. "I just wanted to learn a little about him and my summons got a little too excited."

"I heard about him," Chōji said softly as they continued through the village to the hospital. "They said he was fighting Akatsuki members when he got hurt."

She nodded. "He was," she confirmed. "And he probably would have died if I hadn't arrived when I did with how hard he was fighting them."

Shikamaru looked over at her in surprise. That was news to him. "You were?"

She hummed lightly and nodded again. "Mhm." She glanced over at him with a slight grin. "Why do you think Tsunade had you escort me here?" she asked, pointing toward the hospital as they came to a stop outside the gate. "I'll see you boys around." Lady Fumiyo gave them a little wave before making her way inside.

Shikamaru and Chōji stare after her in dumbfounded, neither quite able to form a coherent thought quiet yet.

"How do you think she did it?" Chōji finally asked. "She didn't even look hurt. I heard Master Jiraiya lost an arm fighting them."

He stared after her, eyes narrowed, as his mind raced. "I don't know, Chōji. But what I'd like to know was how she'd even knew to be there in the first place."

* * *

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	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

 **Retrograde**

 **Chapter Four**

Voices quietly echoed through the halls of the Uchiha hideout and his head snapped up. His eyes narrowed as they grew louder as the intruders got closer to his location. He glanced back at his unconscious brother before standing, hand hovering over the hilt of his sword. But it drops away the moment he recognizes their chakra signatures.

Sasuke relaxed against the stone throne behind him again, tired. He hadn't realized how stressful it was going to be seeing Itachi again. Although he'd long since accepted what his brother had done to protect Konoha and its people, and Sasuke especially, it still hurt whenever he thought back on every single interaction he'd had with him. And to see him alive again in the flesh, to undo Itachi's death, it's almost more than he can bear.

He forcefully dragged his gaze away from his brother as Naruto walked through the doorway first with Hinata at his side. "If we weren't used to dealing with your genjutsu, Sasuke, we wouldn't have gotten in here, you know," he said with an annoyed scowl. "You made it way stronger than you told my shadow clone you would!"

"That's because Zetsu was lurking somewhere outside, loser," he answered distractedly.

"What!" Naruto relaxed almost instantly and went still as he went into Sage Mode, his eyes now orange-red with crosses for pupils. He and Hinata began searching for the creature, but Sasuke ignored them. All of attention on was focused on Sakura.

His wife stood in the doorway staring at him with wide, unsure eyes. Sasuke frowned at her in confusion, not liking what he saw. She seemed wary of him, like she didn't quite believe he was standing there in front of her.

Something about seeing that look on her face made him sad.

"Sakura?"

Her green eyes quickly swept over him before lifting to meet his gaze. A mixture of wariness and hope stared back at him and a lump formed in his throat. "Sasuke," she breathed. "You're here."

"Of course, I am," he returned softly. He took a hesitant step closer to her, resisting the urge to reach out and grab her and hold her tight to his chest. "Where else would I be?"

"Not here," is all she says, and it makes his eyes sting.

Sasuke lifted his arm and waved for her to come closer. "Sakura, come here," he said firmly. Once she was close enough, he gently poked her on the forehead. Her face flushed red and her eyes grew wide as she reached up to touch the spot. And almost immediately she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms tight around his waist.

"Sorry," she mumbled into his chest.

He hugged her back, gently pressing his face against her hair. The comforting scent of Sakura's favorite shampoo mixed with a little bit of sweat filled his nose and he tightened his grip on her. "It's okay," he reassured. "I understand, Sakura."

Her fingers dug into the fabric of his shirt as she vigorously shook her head. "No, it's not, Sasuke," she disagreed. "I should know better. It's just…"

She trailed off, but he could very easily guess what her next words were going to be. It was plain to see on her face with the way she looked at him before. He could only imagine what was going through her head, the painful mix of emotions and memories that his current appearance had stirred up from their past. Sasuke understood completely. It was the same for him when he looked at Itachi.

But he knows that she can find a way to cope. And knowing his wife, she'll deal with her mixed-up emotions about him long before he'll ever sort out his own about his brother. For all he knew, Sakura would probably figure something out before they'd even returned to Konoha.

 _She's stronger than me after all._

Sasuke rested his head against hers as he carefully worded his response. It was most likely going to piss her off, but he would much rather have her angry at him than at herself. He tightened his arms around her and closed his eyes tight as he prepared for the worst. "I can pick a fight with Naruto on the way back to the Leaf like we did after the war if you'd like," he suggested casually as Sakura tensed against his chest and tried to break from his tight grip. "Or we can remove my arm right now and say it happened during my fight with Itachi."

She punched him firmly in the gut, making him wince and bite at his lip to keep from shouting out. "No! Don't you dare even think about doing that to yourself, Sasuke Uchiha!" she cried out, glaring at him. "As a doctor and as your wife, I'd never let you do that to yourself. That's not the problem and you know it."

He smiled softly, pleased. "I do know," he agreed, liking the new spark of emotion in her green eyes. "And I won't. I was only worried about you."

Sakura searched his gaze and her expression softened as she sighed against his chest. "Your terrible plan worked. Happy now?"

"Yes. More than I was before."

They stand there quietly for a moment, arms wrapped around each other as they listened to each other's breathing. Sakura pulled away first, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "I'm going to check on Itachi," she murmured, turning all her attention onto his brother.

He turned to Naruto and Hinata only to look away as they shared a kiss. A beat passed before he walked over to them. "Well?" he asked.

"Zetsu's gone," Naruto told him. "We couldn't find any trace of him just now and we definitely didn't sense him when we arrived."

Hinata nodded her agreement. "And the old team you put together wasn't out there either," she added, reaching into her shuriken pouch. "But we found this."

Sasuke took the folded sheet of paper she offered him. He quickly scanned the haphazard scribblings, noting that the hand of whoever wrote the note was shaking near uncontrollably. "Hn," he snorted, crumpling it up and dropping it at their feet. "Seems I scared them off. What about Kisame Hoshigaki? I assume he wasn't out there either."

They shook their heads. "There wasn't anyone out there when we arrived. Only that note," Hinata told him, pointing at it.

"Will he wake up on our way back to the village?" Naruto asked.

He followed his gaze to see Sakura kneeling beside Itachi's head as she healed his eyes. "No, he won't," he answered, watching her. "Only if I lift the genjutsu. It's too strong for him to dispel on his own. And I doubt they'll be able to get him out of it or enter his mind since I used my Rinnegan."

Naruto nodded before throwing his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the doorway. "Good," he said, briefly meeting his gaze. "I'm going to go check on Kakashi-sensei and the others real quick. Hopefully he stopped them from getting caught in your trap." He quickly pressed a kiss to Hinata's cheek before jogging out of the room.

Once he was gone, Sasuke turned to her. "Can you look at my eyes?" She nodded, and he went over to sit at the base of the throne, activating his Mangekyō before she could ask. Hinata kneeled beside him and wordlessly activated her Byakugan.

He silently watched her search his eyes, reminded of the last time she did this. Of how she'd taken the time to sketch the chakra pathways of his eyes and compared them to those of her sister and father's Byakugan and the lack of them in Sakura's to show him the difference. The intricacy of the dōjutsu had surprised him, with his being much more complicated than the Byakugan and the pathways of her family's dōjutsu unique to each of them. Naruto's great aunt had taken one look at her drawings and was immediately sure that they would be able to do something so he could keep his eyes.

They had performed the seal mostly successfully, but now the only thing left was to make sure his eyes were the one's he'd had before.

Hinata glanced over her shoulder at Itachi before looking back at Sasuke. "Your eyes are the same as before. And they're the same as your brother's, too," she told him, tipping her head toward him.

Sasuke nodded slowly, relieved. "Good," he sighed, "Means I'm not going to go blind."

"It also means that the only problem with the seal is related to our chakra," she said, tucking her long hair behind her ears.

He frowns, but isn't surprised. "I noticed I didn't have all of mine," he told her. "More than half, but it's not a problem. All I have to do is gather more."

"I didn't lose any, unlike the rest of you. Sakura lost some of the chakra in her seal and only the yang half of Kurama is sealed within Naruto again," Hinata said, surprising him. "I think you and Sakura lost chakra because you'd both used a lot of it right before the jutsu was cast even though Naruto gave you some of his."

As she says this he thinks back to before they had cast the jutsu and he remembers pouring a lot of chakra into his Susanoo in order to catch Sakura, whose seal had been fully activated, before fighting the Ōtsutsuki she had been dealing with.

"Sasuke..."

He looks up to see Sakura's pinched expression as she chewed anxiously at her lip. "It's Itachi..."

* * *

Sakura bit at her lip, eyes downcast, as she pulled her hands away from Itachi's chest. She took the time to carefully fold his arms to rest on his stomach as she avoided her husband's gaze.

"What about him?" he asked.

She squeezed her eyes tight as he got to his feet, his slow footsteps loud in her ears as he came closer. Fear churned in her stomach as she tried to sort her suddenly jumbled thoughts. She didn't want to tell him, not after he'd come one step closer to getting his brother back after all the pain and sadness that he had faced.

It was going to hurt him.

Sasuke's hand gently came down to rest on her shoulder and she choked back a sob. "Sakura," he whispered calmly, "What's wrong with Itachi?"

She forced herself to take a deep breath and bury the overwhelming desire to not tell him. To spare him from the pain. "He's very ill…"

His hand stilled on her shoulder for half a second before gently encouraging her to turn to face him. Confusion and uneasiness stared back at her when she met his gaze and the dread came back to form a heavy pit at the bottom of her stomach. Sakura pulled his hand from her shoulder and tightly squeezed it between both of hers to comfort them both.

"What do you mean? I thought you were healing his vision…" Sasuke's eyes slid away from hers to land on Itachi beside them.

Sakura coaxed him to sit, her hands still tightly wrapped around his. "And I did," she reassured him, watching as his expression slowly became devoid of emotion. "But when I checked for other injuries…I found his internal organs in very bad shape."

"How bad?"

"I can't heal the damage completely. But if I make some medicine to slow it down and further ease the pain, then maybe—"

"Sakura." She flinches at his sharp tone and he softens. "Just tell me, Sakura," he pleaded, tightening his hand around hers. "I need to know."

She sighed and pressed her forehead against his, forcing him to look at her. "From what I'm able to tell Itachi has been terminally ill for awhile and it's spread across his vital internal organs," she murmured softly. "He's been taking something to slow it down, but I don't think he has much time left. If I make some medicine I think I can heal him some with constant treatment...but beyond that—" She shakes her head. "I don't think there's much I can do."

Tears are streaming down his face by the time she finishes, and Sakura knows she's crying too. She didn't want to tell him, to cause him this pain. Her pain over her own momentary inability to separate the Sasuke who had left her behind and the Sasuke who was now her husband was nothing compared to what he was going through now. She desperately wishes that she could heal his brother and completely take away his sickness, but it's beyond hers or even Lady Tsunade's abilities.

But she will do everything within her power to help Itachi.

"But I swear we'll find a way to completely heal him, Sasuke," she promised, pulling him closer, "I swear."

He nodded, tightening his hold around her waist as he pressed his face against her neck. "I know."

The warmth of his tears spills across her skin and she held him close, threading her fingers through his dark hair. Soft whispers drew her attention and Sakura's eyes quickly swept across the cold stone walls of the room. Naruto and Hinata stood in the doorway discussing something and judging by their expressions it was serious.

"What's wrong?"

They paused at the sound of her voice and turned to look at her. Naruto crossed his arms, his expression serious, and Sakura was reminded of when she'd watch him and Hinata help Fumiyo with the fūinjutsu. "We've been in here too long. Kakashi and Captain Yamato are starting to get worried," he told her. "They think an Akatsuki member was the one to put up the genjutsu trap and has captured us."

"Then let's go," Sasuke grunted, pulling away from Sakura. "Naruto. Come help me."

Naruto shot her a questioning look and she shook her head. He frowned, but stepped forward anyway. "Sure, Sasuke."

Sakura joined Hinata in the doorway to watch the boys each sling one of Itachi's arms around their shoulders. Sasuke's expression was neutral at best, but she could tell he was really upset. Naruto definitely knew and probably wanted to ask. But Kakashi was worried. They couldn't stay here anymore.

"Is he going to be okay?"

She bit at her lip, glancing at Hinata out of the corner of her eye. "He will be. I'm sure of it," she told her, unsure whether she was trying to convince her or herself. Hinata nodded and offered her a small reassuring smile in response.

Once they were ready, they made their way out back out of the Uchiha hideout. Almost immediately they spotted the rest of their squad with Kakashi standing at the front with his Sharingan uncovered. He stood the closest to the edge of the genjutsu trap's barrier with his back to the others as he desperately searched for a way to penetrate it. Sasuke dispelled the trap once they were close enough and relief immediately spread across their sensei's face before quickly transforming into shock and confusion.

"Hey, sensei! Look!" Naruto called out excitedly as he wildly pointed at the two Uchihas beside him. "Look who we found inside!"

Kakashi rushed forward with the others close on his heels. "Sasuke! What? I thought—" He gestured toward his unconscious brother and seems to struggle for words. "What happened?" he finally settles on.

"Kakashi," Sasuke greeted, "It's been awhile."

"Sasuke…" He froze and Sakura can tell he's finally noticed his mismatched eyes. They stand there in awkward silence until Kakashi visibly shakes himself and pulls his hitai-ate down again. "So. That genjutsu was you then?" he asked.

Her husband nodded once. "Yeah. I didn't want my fight with Itachi interrupted."

"I am surprised you did not kill your brother. Did you not have the intestinal organs to follow through?" Sai asked, completely oblivious.

Sakura winced, unable to resist the urge to face palm. She'd forgotten how blunt and socially awkward Sai had been. He'd been more sensitive to other's emotions and much better at reading social situations in the years after the war that it had completely slipped her mind that he'd be like this again.

"It's guts, Sai. _Guts_ ," Naruto stressed before shaking his head. "But that's not important right now. Sasuke's decided to return to the Hidden Leaf and he's bringing Itachi with him!"

Kakashi looked to Sasuke for confirmation and at his nod, he pulled a blank scroll from his pouch and quickly wrote a note for the Hokage. He sent it off ahead with Pakkun before ordering them to move out. They traveled as fast as they could back through the trees to Konoha, wary of whoever else could cross their path and cause more trouble. Naruto and Sasuke carrying Itachi between them were in the middle of their group with everyone else flanking them at all sides.

They'd only stopped once to rest before making the rest of the trip home. No one spoke the whole way back despite the mission being a success. Sakura was sure everyone had thought it would end in failure with Itachi dead and Sasuke still refusing to return to the village despite doing what he'd sworn to do.

But that was before, and this was now. They'd completely and truly altered their past. The future was uncertain now, but that only meant everything they did going forward from this point on could lead to changing the terrible future they had come from. In a way, they had completed the easy part of the unspoken mission Lord Sixth had given them. But that only meant the hardest part was now to come.

They had to remain vigilant from this point forward and never let the destruction they'd witnessed come to pass.

It was almost midnight when they finally reached the main gate to the village. Lady Tsunade stood at the front with Shizune and a handful of chūnin and jōnin at her side. A stern expression was painted across the Hokage's face as she ordered the shinobi at her side to seize Itachi and bring him to T&I for questioning. Sasuke readily handed his brother over to them only for him to be grabbed as well.

Anger bubbled up inside of Sakura and she leapt forward to stop them only to be grabbed from behind and her arms trapped at her sides. "No, you can't, Lady Tsunade!" she yelled out, struggling desperately against Naruto's iron-tight hold. "You can't do this! He's done nothing wrong, shannarō!"

Sakura slammed her head backwards, but Naruto dodged her strike at the last second, tightening his grip on her. "Sakura, you need to calm down," he hissed into her ear as she continued trying to break free.

"Let go of me, Naruto!" she screamed. "You know just as well as I do that Sasuke's innocent!" Stopping them from taking her husband and locking him in a cell for no reason was her only priority and she wasn't going to let anybody get in her way. She lifted her foot up with the intention of splitting the ground open, but ended up stomping at air.

Naruto had her lifted completely up off the ground, his face pressed against hers, as they watched as chakra suppression tags were put on Sasuke. "He'll be fine, Sakura. Granny Tsunade isn't going to hurt him."

"I don't care! You know he—"

"Sakura, we're not alone," Hinata whispered urgently, suddenly standing in front of them. "We know how you feel. But there are eyes on us."

She quickly scanned around them for the first time. Everyone was watching the three of them with a variety of expressions on their faces. Kakashi, Captain Yamato, and Shizune were sending her sympathetic looks and the Anbu and other shinobi that came from T&I were on edge, ready to move in at a moment's notice. And there was remorse and pity on Lady Tsunade's face as she looked on.

"Sakura." She met Sasuke's gaze and he shook his head once. "Don't."

A frustrated sob escaped her, and she nodded, all the fight leaving her. "Okay…"

Sasuke sent her a reassuring smile before turning his back to them.

She watched helplessly as they led him away, ignoring and hating the looks of pity everyone around them was sending her. Once he was out of sight, Naruto finally released her and she started walking.

"Where are you going?" he asked, but she could hear the real question behind his words. _Are you going to try and break him out?_

She shook her head without looking back as she realized just how physically and emotionally drained she suddenly felt. "I'm going home to get some rest," she called out tiredly. "It's been a really long day..."

* * *

Naruto sighed to himself as he watched Sakura disappear around the corner of one of the buildings. He understood her reaction just now, but it wasn't going to help any of them. If he hadn't stopped her, he was sure she would have blown their cover in her effort to keep Sasuke out of another cell.

He didn't want him locked up either, but he'd seen Grandma Tsunade when she saw his Rinnegan. Shock and distress had immediately flashed across her face before turning wary and he knew Auntie Fumiyo had saved Pervy Sage from Pain. She'd seen the kind of destructive power the Rinnegan possessed through whatever injuries Pervy Sage had and his great aunt's firsthand account. Even though he didn't agree with the decision, Naruto understood Granny Tsunade's decision and he knew it wasn't one he could fight against without revealing things that he couldn't possibly know.

He sighed again and said goodbye to Sai and Captain Yamato before making his way through the village. Everywhere he turned the buildings and roads looked different but not at the same time. It was strange but heartwarming to see Konoha like this again though. The last time he'd walked through these streets more than half of the village had been in ruin filled with tents and makeshift buildings built from Captain Yamato's Wood Release. But to see everything the way it was before everything that happened, before Pain's attack, before it had been properly rebuilt after the war, it sent a strong feeling of nostalgia through him.

 _"Glad to be back, Naruto?"_ Kurama asked, startling him.

Naruto stopped in the middle of the road and tipped his head back to look at the Hokage Rock. A smile spread across his face as he looked at the familiar stone faces watching over the peaceful village and he nodded. "Yeah," he said softly. "I am. Now we'll be able to stop those Ōtsutsukis before they even get the chance to make a move."

 _"That's true, but not what I meant,"_ the old fox said dryly. _"I was talking about your Master being alive again."_

His smile grew and he nodded vigorously. "Yeah, Kurama. I'm really excited to see him again." But then his smile faded, and he brought his hand up to rest on his stomach where the seal lied. "I'm sorry about getting you locked up again."

Kurama opened his eyes just enough to peer at him through the bars as he entered his mindscape. The old fox let out a huff of breath that sent the water underneath his feet rippling. _"Don't apologize, brat,"_ he said, closing his eyes again. _"We discussed this before you even finished the seal."_

Naruto nodded with a sigh. "Yeah, we did," he agreed.

 _"Now leave. I'd like to finish my nap,"_ Kurama dismissed him, sending out a gentle wave of chakra that pushed Naruto out.

He chuckled at the old fox's erratic behavior before turning and making his way home. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of a set of unfamiliar buildings in one of Konoha's residential areas. A glance toward the Hokage Rock and the wall surrounding the village let him know he was at the right location but his house wasn't here.

A warm hand slid into his and he glanced down to meet Hinata's pale eyes. "I made the same mistake," she whispered, threading her fingers through his.

"I just thought of home and forgot," he said, pulling her in close.

They quietly stood there on the deserted street wrapped in each other's arms. It had been a long time since they'd last had the quiet moment like this. Everything had just gone to shit in such a short amount of time. Every waking minute had been devoted to either making the seal or protecting what was left of the village. Naruto almost couldn't remember the last time he and Hinata had the chance to be like this.

He gently cupped her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers. She gasped softly in surprise before returning his kiss, her small, slender fingers tugging at the fabric of his jacket to pull him closer. Naruto pulled away first and pressed his forehead to Hinata's as they stood in the abandoned street.

"Do you want me to go with you tomorrow?" she whispered as she reached up to stroke his cheek.

Naruto shook his head once. "No. I think I'll be okay," he told her. "Besides, you'll probably have a training session with Neji that you can't miss."

She nodded silently in agreement as she pulled away. "I should go before my father sends someone to look for me," she murmured softly before pressing another brief kiss to his lips.

He watched Hinata walk back down the narrow street until she turned a corner and disappeared. A quiet sigh escaped him without his permission as he turned to walk in the opposite direction. His small empty apartment awaited him on the other side of the village and he really didn't want to go there. He briefly considered turning around to look for his great aunt's house and staying there but quickly scrapped the idea. If anyone happened to go looking for him, it'd be hard to explain the situation without casting suspicion on himself or Aunt Fumiyo and that was the absolute last thing they needed.

It was bad enough Sasuke got locked up already.

As he climbed the stairs of his apartment building, his every movement felt sluggish and heavy. Naruto hadn't realized just how tired he was. It was more mental than physical though. He felt like he could run and fight for days on end, but his mind definitely wouldn't be able to keep up.

A yawn forced its way out as he dug into his pocket for his keys. He finally found them after some searching and unlocked the door, stepping inside the familiar space. The door shut behind him with a quiet click as he stifled another yawn and chucked off his shoes.

Naruto made to walk further inside but stilled. He drew his arm back, forcing the spring-loaded mechanism to activate, and threw the kunai that readily filled his waiting hand. Instinct took over, quickly pumping adrenaline through his body, and he sent a handful of shuriken flying as he leapt at the intruder.

The intruder catches his kunai and dodges to the side at the last second, the three shuriken hitting the wall where their heart was with a muted thud. Moonlight illuminates the silhouette of the person standing in front of him and Naruto lands short of tackling them to the ground when he sees her pretty red hair. Relief flooded through him as he relaxed from his defensive crouch, dropping the shuriken in his hand back in his pouch.

"Auntie," he sighed as he stepped closer to her. "It's just you."

Fumiyo chuckled and hugged him tight to her chest in a near suffocating hug. "Of course, it's me, boy. Now. Let me look at you," she murmured, gently guiding him to stand in the dim light coming through the window. "Oh," she cooed, her cool fingers framing his face. "So handsome and so, so adorable."

He grinned in embarrassment as his cheeks grew warm. "I don't think I look that much different, Auntie."

She playfully pinched his cheek and drew him into another smothering hug. "Despite the circumstances that brought us here, I'm glad I got to see you like this," Fumiyo sighed, her voice slightly tinged with sadness. Whatever embarrassment Naruto felt washed away at her words and he tightened his arms around her. He was glad, too. Now they'd be able to catch up on some of the time they had lost.

"Why were you hiding in the dark?" he wondered aloud. "The neighbors aren't shinobi."

"No, they aren't," she agreed, gently guiding him to sit beside her at his small dining table. "I was going to wait outside, but Iruka seemed to have the same idea as me when he heard your team had returned."

A frown pulled at his mouth as he stared at her in confusion. "Why would Iruka-sensei come see me this late at night?" he asked.

She sighed, pushing her bangs out of her eyes, and he noticed the sling securing her arm for the first time. "For the same reason I'm here now," she told him as she gingerly took one of his hands in her own. Her tired purple eyes met his and she sighed again. "I saved Jiraiya from Pain, just like I promised you I would," she began, fingers curling tightly around his. "He…he was already in really bad shape by the time I'd arrived..."

"But Pervy Sage's alive, though, right?!"

Auntie Fumiyo vigorously nodded her head. "Yes, yes, yes! He's very much alive, Naruto," she quickly reassured him, wide purple eyes frantically sweeping across his face. "Jiraiya's lost an arm and has quite a few stab wounds from all the chakra receiver rods that hit him. Some internal bleeding. But Tsunade and all of the doctors and nurses at the hospital have taken very good care of him."

He's had worse injuries than what she's described during his entire shinobi career and he knows Master Jiraiya has suffered worse at both his own and Granny Tsunade's hands. But the worried look in his great aunt's dark purple eyes doesn't make any sense. He doesn't understand why she's looking at him like that. If he's alive, then there shouldn't be anything to worry about.

"But then why did you and Iruka need to come see me right now?"

Her hand tightened around his and a pained look crossed her face. "Because we wanted to you to be prepared before you went to go see him," she whispered.

He stilled in his seat as his heart beat frantically in his chest. "What's wrong with Pervy Sage, Aunt Fumiyo?"

"All the trauma Jiraiya sustained caused him to fall into a coma and they don't know when he'll wake."

Her eyes suddenly went wide, and she launched herself at him, wrapping him tightly in yet another suffocating hug. He doesn't understand why until he feels the hot tears streaming down his face and a sob tears its way from his throat. Naruto grabbed desperately at the back of her haori as she tried to comfort him. "He'll wake up, Naruto," she swore, "Jiraiya's too stubborn to die in a peaceful way like that. And besides, Tsunade won't let him. Have faith."

He nodded, still tightly clinging to her jacket. She was right. If Pervy Sage was going to die, he'd do it battle like he had before. And Grandma Tsunade would use everything she knew about medicine to heal him and bring him back to them.

But it didn't mean it still didn't hurt.

"Will you stay?" he asked, scrubbing his face with the back of his sleeve. "Just for a little while, Auntie?"

Fumiyo pulled away just enough to look at him and after a moment she nodded, gently rubbing his back. "Yeah. I think I can do that."

* * *

 **Get updates a day or two earlier on AO3.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

 **Retrograde**

 **Chapter Five**

Kakashi stood against the wall out of sight of the small cell. The desks normally manned by the shinobi who worked here were empty except for stacks of paperwork and abandoned coffee cups. He was alone except for his wayward student locked inside of the cell.

The same student he distinctly remembered barely ever speaking more than a few words unless provoked who was currently yelling at the top of his lungs, demanding to see Itachi, to speak with the Hokage, and to be released among a whole list of other things.

Sasuke had started shooting his mouth off the moment he'd been separated from Itachi and locked in that chakra suppression cell. He'd scared off the two shinobi working in here and his nonstop chattering could be heard all the way down the hallway. But Kakashi was pretty sure it was his eye that really sent them packing. The story of the long thought to be dead Lady Uzumaki rescuing Master Jiraiya in Amegakure had spread quickly through the village while they were gone so it was no surprise.

Lady Tsunade had taken one look at his left eye and ordered for Sasuke's imprisonment despite Kakashi's quiet protests and Sakura's emotional outburst when they'd returned, citing it was for the peace of mind of the shinobi in the village. Surprisingly, Sasuke had gone without complaint and allowed himself to be locked up. It wasn't until after a few hours had gone by that he'd started making his demands.

He'd had to listen to him for nearly six hours now and after hour two it had become increasingly obvious that he was only doing it to entertain himself and annoy anybody who could hear him.

"Don't you think that's enough?" Kakashi asked tiredly. "Surely your throat hurts by now, Sasuke?"

"Am I bothering you, Sensei? You should have said something."

He could barely restrain himself from rolling his eye. "No, you're not bothering me," he denied with a shake of his head. "I'm just worried that you might hurt yourself."

"I know my limits," he replied before suddenly falling silent.

Kakashi's head snapped up and a jolt of surprise ran up his spine. A woman with bright red hair wearing a high collared kimono and a sling securing her arm was standing in front of Sasuke's cell. He hadn't even heard her enter the room, nor sensed her chakra. And her scent was so faint against his sensitive nose he almost didn't catch it.

"How was your night?" the woman asked. "Any issues or concerns?"

"It was fine," Sasuke told her, unperturbed by the woman's sudden appearance. "Nothing happened I didn't already expect. No one could look me in the eye though except for the Hokage and Kakashi."

She hummed softly and nodded. "That's not a surprise, considering you now possess the same dōjutsu as a member of the Akatsuki," she told him. Sasuke didn't respond, but from what little Kakashi could see of the woman's face it looked like she was smiling. "Want to tell me why your sensei is standing all the way over there? He looks like he's trying to sink into the wall and disappear," she asked next, tipping her head in his direction.

"Because he realized I was louder when he would stand where I could see him."

The woman's grin widened. "I read your file, you know. This behavior of yours seems a bit out of character."

"I didn't feel like sitting quietly in this cell," he said and Kakashi could imagine the sarcastic look on his face. "So, I found a way to entertain myself."

Her shoulders shook with silent laughter. "Well, good job, I suppose," she chuckled as she pulled out a set of keys from her sleeve and unlocked the cell. "Come on, then. The Hokage's waiting."

"You must be the one Lady Tsunade went to convince," Kakashi said, pushing away from the wall as he walked over to join them. "She didn't think you'd agree."

The woman turned to face him and Kakashi nearly stepped back. She looked just like Sensei's wife, but older with a couple wrinkles lining her face. But that was impossible. A part of him wanted to run away, remembering how he had failed to protect her and Minato-sensei that night, but his legs refused to move.

A soft smile curled at her mouth, the look in her violet eyes sympathetic. "I'm not her, Kakashi," she whispered with a shake of her head. "Do you remember me?"

He stared at her for a long minute before finally nodding, politely bowing his head. "Lady Fumiyo. Forgive me for not immediately recognizing you."

She waved off his apology. "It's fine. You were just a boy when you last saw me after all. That and the fact you probably thought I'd died like most everyone else I've encountered." Lady Fumiyo shrugged before dropping her good hand down on Sasuke's shoulder and squeezing. "Follow me."

They followed her out of the room and down the hallway of one of the sublevels of Konoha's Intelligence Division. Lady Fumiyo navigated them through the winding passageways with ease, never once needing to stop and regain her bearings unlike many shinobi who were unfamiliar with the twisting, confusing turns. Kakashi himself used to get lost and needed to retrace his steps before finding where he was supposed to go. He'd eventually learned his way around of course, but only after a lot of trial and error.

He tried to think back and remember what it was that Lady Fumiyo used to do when she lived in the village but drew a blank. All that he could recall about her was that she was originally from Uzushiogakure, was second cousins with Lady Tsunade, and was a fūinjutsu master trained in her clan's sealing techniques.

That and she was Kushina Uzumaki's aunt.

Kakashi nearly trips over his feet at the last thought, drawing Sasuke's and Lady Fumiyo's attention. He waved them off and they continued down the hall like nothing happened. But he couldn't stop thinking about the implications of Lady Fumiyo's return to Konoha. It wouldn't be long before she and Naruto would cross paths and he didn't doubt she would recognize him for who he was once she laid eyes on him. He remembered once hearing a rumor that Lord Third had told Lady Fumiyo that Naruto had died with his parents that night, but his angsty, grief-riddled teenage-self had ignored it and kept a single-minded focus on his Anbu missions. Now as an adult, he wished he'd paid more attention and investigated. The only person he could ask was currently unconscious, and he doubted Lady Tsunade knew anything about it.

And if that rumor was true, and she really didn't know her great-nephew was alive, he could only imagine how angry and betrayed she was going to feel.

"So, who are you exactly?" Sasuke suddenly asked, breaking him from his thoughts. "I don't remember ever seeing you in the village."

Lady Fumiyo glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and Kakashi swore he saw laughter dancing in her violet eyes. "You don't remember me because I haven't been in the village in over fifteen years," she told him as they turned down another hallway. "I am Fumiyo. A shinobi of the Hidden Leaf like you." She stopped beside one of the doors lining the hallway and pushed it open, giving Sasuke a wide grin.

He frowned at her before entering the room with Kakashi a step behind him. Fumiyo followed them, shutting the door firmly behind her. "Come sit," she said, gently patting the back of one of the chairs.

"Took you long enough," Lady Tsunade huffed from one of the corners of the room. "Thought you might have gotten lost."

Lady Fumiyo rolled her eyes good-naturedly with a small smile as she sat across from Sasuke. "I might not have been down here in a very long time, Tsunade, but I still remember my way. You've forgotten that I spent quite a few of my days here when I wasn't out on the frontlines during the last two wars."

"And what exactly is it that you used to do?" Sasuke asked, cutting Lady Tsunade off. She scowled at him but said nothing.

"During the last two shinobi wars I specialized in intelligence gathering," she revealed with a nostalgic look. "I used to put seals into the mouths of enemy shinobi that would get them to tell me everything I wanted to know. It also kept them from remembering the sensitive information they gave away when reporting back to their superiors." A pleased smile spread across her face at whatever memory she was thinking of and it sent a shiver of terror down Kakashi's spine.

"But don't worry," she was quick to reassure, "I won't be doing that to you today. We're just going to talk."

"That's right," Lady Tsunade agreed, crossing her arms. "Because Fumiyo's been so removed from the shinobi world and the happenings in the village until recently, I thought she'd be the best person to talk to you, Sasuke."

Sasuke nodded thoughtfully. "Good. Because what I'm going to tell you can't leave this room or be overheard by a certain person," he told them, a dark shadow coming down over his face. "We don't know who might be trying to listen."

"It won't," Lady Fumiyo promised. "After I was informed you were suspicious of some of the shinobi in the village, I spent the last few hours sealing this room. So, start wherever you want, Sasuke. Just tell us whatever it was that made you decide to spare Itachi's life and bring him back to the Leaf."

He searched her purple eyes before nodding curtly. "On my way to kill my brother, an Akatsuki member wearing a mask confronted me," he began, furiously glaring a hole into the floor.

Kakashi shared a look with Lady Tsunade. This must have been the same man they'd encountered before catching up with Sasuke and Itachi. It seemed that they were finally going to get some info on him.

"He claimed that I didn't know the truth about the night Itachi slaughtered our entire clan. He said that he'd done it for the good of the village because everyone including our parents was planning a coup," he continued. An angry scowl pulled at Sasuke's mouth, his fist tightly clenched on his knee. "And that he'd been ordered to do it by a council member."

Lady Fumiyo frowned as she stared at him. "Which council member?"

He shook his head robotically. "He wouldn't say which one." His head snapped up and Kakashi couldn't help but stare at his mismatched eyes as one glowed red and the other purple. "But if I figure out which one ordered him to slaughter our clan in exchange for sparing my life… _I'll kill them_."

Kakashi opened his mouth to try and reason with him, but Fumiyo raised her hand to silence him. "What about the man in the mask?" she questioned next, ignoring Sasuke's declaration of violence. "Did he tell you his name?"

Sasuke blinked and his Sharingan faded and the anger in his eyes dimmed. "He claimed to be Madara Uchiha."

"Really?" Lady Fumiyo eyed him skeptically. "He's supposed to be long dead. Killed in battle with Lord Hashirama."

"I don't know. That's just what he told me."

"Hm. Then what about this?" She tapped underneath her own left eye. "Tell us how you got that."

"An old man gave it to me."

Kakashi stared at Sasuke. He couldn't tell if he was being serious or joking. There was no way that was the truth. Nobody would just randomly hand over a legendary jutsu like the Rinnegan. That didn't just happen, not unless that person had some sort of ulterior motive and was somehow using Sasuke without him realizing.

"An old man?" Lady Tsunade repeated flatly, voice dripping with disbelief and skepticism. "Did he tell you why?"

Sasuke met the Hokage's gaze and nodded. "He said I reminded him of his elder son who didn't inherit his power," he told her. "So, he gave it to me."

This also didn't sound like the truth to Kakashi, but Lady Fumiyo was taking him seriously. "I see," she said. "And did he tell you his name?"

"No."

A small smile spread across her face. "I see," she repeated with a nod.

Lady Tsunade suddenly stood from her chair, motioning for Kakashi and Lady Fumiyo to follow her into the adjacent room. Kakashi sent Sasuke a reassuring look before tightly closing the door behind him. The three of them stood in front of the one-way mirror, silently watching his student.

"What do you think?" Lady Tsunade asked.

Kakashi sighed as he leaned back against the wall. "The story he was told by the masked Akatsuki member sounds plausible. If it's true, then we're going to have to deal with this before Sasuke does," he said, staring at him through the glass. "And that Rinnegan…" He shrugged. "I don't know if I believe that's how he got it, considering how long he was with Orochimaru."

"I think he's telling the truth," Lady Fumiyo disagreed, reaching up to readjust one of the paper tags decorating her hair. A quick glimpse of the kanji written let him know it read 'Perseverance'. "The boy has no reason to lie to us since he made the decision to not kill his older brother and return to the village on his own rather than being dragged back kicking and screaming." She glanced over her shoulder at Kakashi. "I'll admit his story about how he got that eye doesn't sound believable. But I highly doubt Orochimaru was able to get his hands on that legendary dōjutsu because of how rare it is. And at this point, I don't think it really matters how he obtained it."

"Sasuke might be telling the truth," Lady Tsunade agreed, arms crossed against her chest. "But there's still the fact that he left and abandoned his duties as a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf and killed Orochimaru."

Lady Fumiyo's head whipped around furiously to look at the Hokage, the tags in her hair hitting her in the face. "Do you intend to punish him for that?" she demanded.

She nodded sharply, matching her glare. "I do. I'm not going to bend the rules just because he captured one of the village's S-ranked criminals."

"But you've already bent the rules, Tsunade!" the redhead returned incredulously. "Or have you forgotten that I abandoned my duties to the village as well? I may have continued taking missions after I left, but I eventually stopped answering to Lord Third."

Lady Tsunade shook her head. "The situation is different," she insisted. "This is nothing like that, Fumiyo."

"No, it's not. It's no different than what you and I did at its core," she disagreed, pointing through the glass at Sasuke. "Although we were older, that boy did the exact same thing we did. After Dan and Kawaki died, _you_ left the village. After Kushina and Minato died, _I_ left the village. Grief over losing his family – his entire clan – drove him away, no different than you and me."

The Hokage's lip curled angrily and she looked away. "He still killed Orochimaru."

"And if I were in his position, I'd have killed him too for trying to steal my body!" Lady Fumiyo shot back. She sighed tiredly, rubbing at her forehead. "Please don't tell me that you're needlessly punishing him because of his Rinnegan, Tsuna…"

Lady Tsunade's shoulders dropped in defeat and Kakashi stared in shock as she nodded. "Yes," she sighed. "I know he has nothing to do with those Akatsuki you saved Jiraiya from, but word has spread about his eye and I've already been getting demands to keep him locked up or put under heavy surveillance."

Another heavy sigh escaped from the other woman as she shed her sling, dropping it on the floor. "Then I'll just have to do this," she declared slamming the door open with a bang. Before either Kakashi or Tsunade could react, Fumiyo rapidly started weaving hand seals as she approached Sasuke. "Don't tense up," she warned right before finishing the last seal and slapping her hand on the back of his neck and firmly saying, "Seal."

Sasuke winced but otherwise didn't react except to look up at her. "What did you just do?"

Lady Fumiyo lifted her gaze to the mirror and somehow met the Hokage's, defiance written across her face. "Took you into my care."

* * *

"I'm sorry," Sasuke apologized, his eyes glowing bright red and purple in the dim light of the Uchiha hideout, "I don't expect you to forgive me for what I'm about to do, big brother." Before Itachi could call out and stop him, darkness fell over him as he was knocked unconscious.

" _Can you help me with my shurikenjutsu, big brother?"_

Itachi's eyes snapped open at the sound of the child's voice and he stared. His baby brother, no older than seven, stood in front of him with such an earnest and innocent expression it nearly broke his heart. And standing across from him, eyes filled with kindness and affection and none of the heavy burdens he would soon carry, was twelve-year-old Itachi. He stared at the familiar scene in front of him as a sick feeling started to build in the pit of his stomach.

His younger self smiled and gently poked Sasuke on the forehead. "Not right now, Sasuke," he told him. "Maybe next time."

Little Sasuke pouted adorably up at him as he rubbed his head. "But you always say that!"

The scene changed in a swirl of color and he was suddenly standing in their childhood home. There was blood everywhere and it was pooling underneath their parents' lifeless bodies. Young Itachi dressed in his Anbu uniform stood beside them. The door slowly opened, and the sick feeling grew when Sasuke stumbled in on shaky legs.

"What have you done?" he demanded as he clutched at his shoulder.

"Foolish little brother," his younger self replied. "I almost pity you."

Itachi watched in horror and confusion as the cold, apathetic look morphed into one filled with regret and sadness as tears spilled down his cheeks. He stumbled back in shock, slipping on their parents' blood in his desperate attempt to get away. Far, far away from this terrible memory. Tears gathered in his own eyes and he spun on his heel, shoving Sasuke out of the way as he made his escape.

He burst through the door and bright sunlight immediately assaulted him. His vision cleared after a moment and Itachi found himself standing in a much calmer place. A small sigh touched his sensitive ears and he glanced down at his feet.

Sasuke sat along the edge of the small dock of the lake where their father had taught them the Great Fireball Technique, his little legs dangling over the still water. The lone red and white uchiwa of their clan stood prominent on his back. The sight of it reminded him that after the sinful act he had committed Itachi had left him all alone and it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Approaching footsteps set to a steady, slow gait caught his attention. He glanced behind them and saw a little boy about the same age as Sasuke. His head was downcast, bright yellow hair covering his face, but from this angle it was easy to pick out the three whisker-like markings on his cheeks. _Naruto_ , Itachi recognized. His brow furrowed as he looked between the two boys and he frowned.

These weren't his memories like he'd originally thought, but rather his little brother's.

Naruto came to a stop on the path behind them. Sadness and what could only be described as a child's longing was painted across his face as he stared down the hill at Sasuke's back. Sasuke turned and met his gaze and almost like it was on instinct both boys scowled and glared at each other. The young jinchuriki turned away first and ran away back toward the village. The annoyed expression on his brother's face faded and an expression similar to Naruto's previous one spread across his.

Without warning the memory changed and Itachi was standing in another part of Konoha. Three little genin, their brand new hitai-ate shining on their heads, sat beside one another. Kakashi Hatake stood in front of them leaning on the railing behind him as he silently observed them.

"Alright," he lazily drawled out. "How about you introduce yourselves? Things you like, things you hate, dreams for the future, hobbies," he listed off. "Things like that."

Young Naruto, appearing much the same as when they'd first met in that hotel, frowned at him from beside Sasuke. "Why don't you tell us stuff first?" he suggested.

"Me? I'm Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate…I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future: never really thought about it. As for my hobbies, I have lots of hobbies."

Naruto went next, constantly fidgeting with his hitai-ate as he introduced himself. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I like instant ramen in the cup. And I really like the ramen that Iruka-sensei got me at the Ichiraku Noodle Shop. But I hate the three minutes that you have to wait after you pour the water in. _And my greatest dream is to be the greatest Hokage!_ Then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody – _somebody important!_ "

"I'm Sakura Haruno," the girl introduced herself excitedly. "What I like—I mean the person I like is—" She blushed and fidgeted as she looked at Sasuke. "Ah, my hobby is… My dream for the future is…" The girl glanced at Sasuke again and squealed, but he completely ignored her.

Itachi's frown deepened as he turned his attention to his little brother, not liking the dispassionate, uncaring expression on his face. It wasn't a surprise to see, but he didn't like it nonetheless.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha," he begun in a low voice. "I hate a lot of things and I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not a dream because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan and _kill a certain man_."

Itachi eyed the scene in front of him suspiciously. He'd thought the memories Sasuke had shown him so far were related to his little brother's desire to avenge their clan. But this one seemed more personal, more intimate.

It was almost like Itachi was skimming through Sasuke's memories like an intruder.

The memory abruptly changed, and he found himself watching in a blur of color as Sasuke and the newly formed Team 7 trained and went on D-rank missions around the village. He saw them fight against Zabuza of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and as Sasuke saved Naruto from the ice kekkai genkai wielder. And as the two boys grew stronger and became friends and rivals, Itachi sensed an intense feeling of jealousy and something else that he couldn't quite identify in the air.

He watched as his little brother grew protective of Sakura and trained with Kakashi to learn the Chidori. He witnessed as Orochimaru put his Curse Mark on Sasuke and saw those hate-filled eyes again when they saw each other for the first time in that hotel after Sasuke's Chunin Exams. And he felt the jealousy grow as Naruto grew stronger until he left to join the Sannin to gain more power. Itachi heard a girl's voice beg Sasuke to stay or to take her with him, anything but leave, before he thanked her.

An explosion suddenly sounded and Itachi whipped around as a spray of water hit him in the face. At the foot of the great stone statues of Lord First Hokage and Madara Uchiha at the Valley of the End, Sasuke and Naruto rushed at each other using Chidori and Rasengan.

The force of their jutsu colliding threw Itachi backward and he hit the cold stone wall of some sort of underground structure. Orochimaru stood in front of him, watching on as Sasuke trained under his observant gaze. Years passed in a matter of seconds in front of Itachi's eyes until his little brother grew to be the teenager he had just faced as he cut down the Snake Sannin.

Color erupted around him and Itachi stood in the Uchiha hideout once again. For a moment he thought he had finally broken out of the genjutsu, but he found himself staring at his own face again. But something was different, wrong. Sasuke's eyes never once evolved past the standard Sharingan and he activated his Curse Mark during this fight, forcing genjutsu Itachi outside. Lightning struck, blinding him for a moment, and when his vision cleared shock ran down his spine and he scrambled closer. Itachi watched himself slowly make his way toward Sasuke, fresh blood dripping from his mouth and his Susanoo surrounding him. Sasuke backed away until he couldn't anymore and Itachi gently poked him on the forehead with one last smile before dropping to the ground.

The sick feeling came back full force and Itachi tried desperately to break free from the genjutsu. But no matter how hard he tried, the strength of his little brother's illusion was too strong for him. Whatever that last vision was, it couldn't possibly be one of Sasuke's memories.

 _It couldn't be._

He activated his Sharingan in one last desperate attempt to escape, but Sasuke's illusion proves to be superior. The genjutsu bounces back and he's thrown through the air from the force of it.

Itachi slams against a wall behind him with a gasp and he struggled to his feet to try again. But he jumps back almost immediately when he sees Sasuke standing in front of him, eyes filled with more hatred and anger than he had ever witnessed in another person. His dark eyes turn red with the Sharingan before evolving into the Mangekyō as tears flowed down his pale cheeks and the hatred in them burns as he stared passed Itachi. He turned to follow his gaze and frowned.

Danzō Shimura, someone Itachi didn't ever want near his little brother, stood across from them panting for breath on a bridge. His right arm was gone, and blood dripped from an empty eye socket.

Before he can fully take in the scene in front of him, they're standing underneath the same bridge and Danzō's gone. In his place stands Kakashi preparing his Lightning Blade and behind his little brother Sakura was sneaking up on him, kunai at the ready. To Itachi's surprise and horror Sasuke turns to kill her, but Naruto thankfully swoops in to save her.

And a sense of déjà vu washed over him as he watched the two boys run at each other with Chidori and Rasengan raised.

Sasuke stands in front of him yet again and Itachi watched as he grew blind before his eyes transformed into a new Mangekyō Sharingan, similar to if not the same as the one he'd seen when he fought him before all of this. He turned and stared with wide eyes at a strange version of himself struggling toward Sasuke as some jutsu came undone.

"I want to impart at least this much truth to you," he heard himself say as he pressed his forehead against his brother's. "You don't ever have to forgive me. And whatever you do from here on out, know this – no matter what, I will love you always."

And before he can understand what he's just heard, he's suddenly standing on a war-torn battlefield filled with ninja from all the Great Nations and an enemy he never could have imagined.

" _Summoning jutsu!"_

He whipped around to see a huge cloud of smoke and when it cleared Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura with a seal activating on her forehead, each stood on top of their huge summons and it was like witnessing the Sannin reborn.

The war waged on around him and Itachi watched it all in a blur. Among the chaos he thought he saw the previous Hokage and Naruto cloaked in bright orange chakra that formed a massive avatar of the Kyūbi. But it was Sasuke that he was focused on the most.

His left eye had begun to glow purple with the legendary Rinnegan like it had when he'd cast this genjutsu.

But just as suddenly as the war starts, it ends and Itachi watches in horror as Sasuke cast Sakura into a terrible genjutsu after again begging him to stay as she shed tears for him.

And then he's standing in the Valley of the End once again with Naruto and Sasuke. This time the statues have been destroyed and debris litters the base of the waterfall at his feet. The two teenagers rush toward one another one last time using the same jutsu as before. An explosion rocked the surrounding land with the force of their jutsu and when the light clears, he sees that both boys have lost their dominant arms and Sakura is healing them as Team 7 cried together.

Warmth and relief fill Itachi's heart when he sees the hatred that had consumed his little brother's eyes has finally disappeared. The pressure he hadn't even realized had been suffocating him lifted and he thinks it's finally over this time. That Sasuke has finally ended the strange genjutsu he subjected him to.

But then he's standing at the main gates of Konoha with Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi.

"What if I said...I'd go with you?" she murmured shyly.

"This is a trip to atone for my sins," Sasuke told her matter-of-factly. "My sins have nothing to do with you." Disappointment immediately spread across her face, but to Itachi's surprise he gently poked her on the forehead with a smile. "Maybe next time."

Sasuke walked away and they stopped in front of Naruto. The two friends shared a smile as the jinchuriki handed a hitai-ate with their village symbol crossed out to the Uchiha.

For another foolish moment Itachi thinks it's over until his surroundings change and he finds himself standing on an unfamiliar cliff top at sunset. A soft, contented sigh sounded behind him and he turned to see Sasuke and Sakura, both nearly as old as he was now, sitting on a wooden bench beside one another. Sakura's head rested on his shoulder and a contented expression, one Itachi had never seen before, was on his little brother's face.

Before he could completely take in what was in front of him, Sakura and Sasuke were standing behind the bench. A quick glance at the sun told him only a few minutes had passed, but Itachi could hardly guess the reason behind the sudden change in mood.

"Sakura, wait," Sasuke pleaded, holding tight to her hand.

"Shannarō, Sasuke! Let go!" She tried to pull away, but his hold was firm. "I need to be alone right now."

He threaded his fingers through hers and pulled her back to him. "I have a difficult time expressing how I feel unlike you and Naruto," he told her as he stared intently into her eyes. "And it's even harder for me to put those feelings into words."

Her expression softened, and she stopped trying to pull away. "What are you trying to tell me?"

"That I love you."

Itachi turned and found himself standing beside a window with the Great Stone Faces there to greet him. A door opened and he turned to see Naruto and a pretty dark haired Hyūga woman walk in with wide smiles on their faces. He followed their gazes and a smile of his own spread across his face. Sasuke and Sakura stood beside him dressed in traditional wedding kimonos. He stepped closer to them, his smile widening when he saw the quiet happiness shining in his little brother's eyes.

But the happiness was suddenly wiped away, replaced by a cold fury mixed with fear in his red and purple eyes, and Itachi whipped around to follow his gaze. Two foreign shinobi stood 100 meters away performing powerful destructive jutsu, but it was Sakura he was focused on. A furious expression of her own was painted across her face as she sprinted toward them with incredible speed, her seal fully activated and fresh blood staining her ripped clothes from already healed wounds.

" _Shannarō!"_ she all but screamed as she leapt up into the air, fist raised.

The familiar loud chirping of birds suddenly filled the air and Itachi watched in surprise as a cloak of Chidori surrounded Sasuke and the sword in his hand. Too fast for him to follow, he shot forward to attack the other strange shinobi. But just as Sakura went to deal a punishing blow, she and Sasuke suddenly switched places to attack the other's opponent.

Itachi stumbled back in surprise and found himself back in Konoha again. But it was destroyed and in ruins now.

Nothing he saw explained the current state of the village, nor why there were so many shinobi from the other hidden villages here. He'd even seen some dangerous missing-nin mixed in among them helping. The barrier maintained around the village was reinforced to the point that it was red like the Four Red Yang Formation and easily visible in the sky.

Whatever was going on though, he was sure the situation was dire for everyone to have retreated like this.

"Fumiyo."

He looked up and found himself standing in the cemetery. A red-haired woman was standing in front of a grave with her back to them, a familiar swirl crest proudly emblazoned on the back of her kimono, turned and offered him a kind smile. "They need help reinforcing the barrier?"

Sasuke shook his head once. "No," he said, coming to a stop beside her. "Naruto's looking for you."

"Hmm. Is he?" she asked, a teasing look in her dark purple eyes. "The boy could have sent a shadow clone, you know."

"I volunteered."

Her smile widened and Itachi could have sworn Sasuke's cheeks turned a faint pink. "Ah. I see." She nodded to herself. "I'll go see what he needs help with. I need to get back to work anyway."

She'd barely taken a step away before Sasuke's arm shot out to stop her. "Wait. I wanted to ask you something."

"Ask away, then," she said with that teasing look again.

"You said that you liked me, and I want to know why. Normally, people who just met me don't."

The woman's teasing expression disappeared and was replaced by a serious one. "At first, I thought you were a very sullen and serious young man, but then I saw how you were with Naruto and Sakura. Those two and Kakashi told me both the good and the bad and your academy classmates told me hesitant stories filled with holes. And of course, you were very determined to let me know about all the terrible things you had done." The corner of her mouth curved upward as she met Sasuke's gaze. "But it was the way you are with your family that made me decide to like you. You remind me of someone very dear to me."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked, brow furrowed. "The way I'm with my family?"

She nodded. "You're very serious when it comes to your duties, but when it comes to those you care about?" A small genuine smile curved at her mouth. "You hold them very close to your heart. I bet you cried when Sakura agreed to marry you and I'm sure you would have shed tears when your first child was born." To Itachi's surprise Sasuke nodded, his face red. "And that's what makes you remind me of my older brother – he was much the same. Very serious when it came to his duties to our clan and to the village, but a big softy when it came to our family. Though I get the impression you struggle to express that to them sometimes."

The woman gently patted Sasuke's cheek with another smile before turning to make her way back toward the village. "And, Sasuke," she called back, "Next time you want to talk to me, don't bother making up a lie."

Itachi turned to face his little brother, nearly as old as he was now, and sighed to himself. Was this what Sasuke meant? Forgive him for trapping him in this strange genjutsu of his and subjecting him to this mixture of memories and whatever those other images were? Or for something else? He couldn't tell, nor could he begin to imagine what he had really meant.

Because he'd seen the look in Sasuke's eyes, felt the killing intent leaking from him, and knew he intended to follow through on avenging their clan.

But before he can think about it any further, Sasuke's appearance changes. His eyes remain the same but he's younger again like he was when Itachi had last seen him outside the genjutsu. They glow red and purple, tomoe spinning wildly, and he reached out toward him as his vision tunneled and grew sharper than it had in a long time.

"Itachi," he called out.

He tried to move but couldn't. His arms and legs were trapped, tied to what felt like a simple wooden chair with ninja wire and paper tags, leading him to believe his chakra was being suppressed. And judging by the color of the wall behind Sasuke's head, they were no longer in the Uchiha hideout.

"Sasuke," he rasped, his tongue and throat dry from disuse. "What have you done?"

"Brought you back to the Leaf, big brother," he told him, and the words are said casually, like it was supposed to be obvious. Like he hadn't spent the last eight years waiting to kill him.

Before he can respond, a hot searing pain starting at the back of his neck spread through his body all the way down to his chakra coils. A scream tore its way from his mouth and he slumped forward as the pain withdrew. Quiet footsteps that originated from directly behind him filled the air and a pair of women's heeled shinobi sandals filled his vision.

"Sorry about that," a familiar voice apologized. "Seals like that tend to hurt quite a bit. Especially when you aren't prepared for them."

Itachi weakly lifted his head and stared in shock.

It was the woman in the cemetery!

Her dark purple eyes quickly swept over him with interest as she removed the paper tags. "You and I have much to talk about, Itachi Uchiha."

* * *

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	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

 **Retrograde**

 **Chapter Six**

Kakashi watched Sasuke and Lady Uzumaki leave the Intelligence Department through one narrowed gray eye, staring without seeing.

His student had drastically changed over the past three years since he'd last seen him and he couldn't figure out why.

Sasuke had changed in a way that didn't make sense. Kakashi expected the anger and hatred he'd seen burning in the Uchiha's eyes, but he hadn't imagined it would be directed at anyone other than his older brother. To see the worry and unwavering love directed at Itachi had shocked him. For a moment he'd thought the boy to be an imposter when he and the others had brought out a very much alive Itachi Uchiha, dark eyes no longer filled with the suffocating rage that weighed him down and caused him to abandon his family.

Where did the boy who'd once vowed to kill the man go? What caused him to abandon his vengeance and believe the words of another criminal?

It was almost like Kakashi was looking at a different Sasuke. A much calmer version of the one he'd been expecting to one day face.

Naruto and Sakura's reaction – or rather lack of one – didn't help any. Neither of them seemed shocked or concerned by Sasuke's change of heart, happily following along with him and even somehow roping Hinata in with them. And when the Hokage ordered for his imprisonment, his three little brats surprised him again. Sasuke had gone willingly and without argument, like he had already seen it as an inevitability, while Sakura and Naruto seemed to switch personalities. Kakashi was under no illusion that both of them would have quietly stood by and watched while their teammate was locked up and put in the hands of Konoha's interrogators. But he never once would have thought Naruto to be the voice of reason between the two of them, forced to hold Sakura back before she did something she'd regret.

It was unsettling.

"Don't be so worried about him, Kakashi. Sasuke's in good hands with Fumiyo."

Kakashi slowly shook his head. "I'm not concerned about that, Lady Tsunade," he told her. "I know Lady Uzumaki will treat him well."

The Hokage's teasing smile fell away and her sharp gaze landed on his face. "Then what is it?" she questioned, once again shifting into her role of village leader. "Do you think he's in danger from the council member he was talking about?"

"Maybe," he sighed as Sasuke finally disappeared from view. "But that's not it. He just…seems different than I remember him being."

Her expression turned sympathetic and she sighed. "He spent the last three years with Orochimaru away from you, Naruto, and Sakura, Kakashi. Sasuke was bound to change just like the other two did," she told him. "Maybe there's nothing to worry about."

The logic was sound, and he was inclined to agree with her, but a nagging feeling told him that it was something else entirely. Like Sasuke had experienced something that caused a fundamental change in him that he'd only told the others about. Whatever it was though, he was worried about him.

"Maa, maybe you're right," he agreed after a moment. Kakashi sent her a smile he was sure she saw through before disappearing into the trees with a flicker.

Even if nothing was wrong, keeping a close eye on Sasuke wouldn't hurt.

* * *

"Here," Fumiyo said, holding out the storage scroll for him to take. "Your weapons."

The young Uchiha took the scroll from her with a quiet nod of thanks. "We're being followed," he observed as they continued down the worn path away from the Intelligence Department. "There are three of them."

She kept her gaze on the path ahead of them as she folded her hands inside the long sleeves of her kimono. A discrete flick of her wrist triggered the spring mechanism and her fingers tightened around the kunai. "Yes. One of them is Kakashi," she murmured, glancing at the gently swaying tree leaves. "The others I assume belong to Root."

While warding and sealing off the rooms given to her by the Hokage, she'd come across three pairs of heavily concealed eyes watching her every move. And with her sensory abilities she'd come across two others shadowing her whenever she came and went from Itachi's room. It was why she'd insisted on assigning three Anbu operatives with him instead of the chūnin Tsunade left. She hadn't cared that the boy was unconscious or that no matter who tried to break the genjutsu failed or if he was basically harmless – Itachi was vulnerable and if they weren't careful somebody would see it as an opportunity to eliminate him. She'd told Tsuna as much and it'd forced her to agree to her demand.

It had made them back off and return to whatever shady place they'd originated from, but the two who'd dared to remain were following them now.

"They must be if they're following us," Sasuke snarled under his breath. His eyes flared angrily as his fist tightly clenched around the scroll. "If anything happens to Itachi while he's down there, I'll hunt every single one of them down and make them pay."

Fumiyo dropped a hand down on his shoulder and squeezed. "Calm, Sasuke," she soothed. "Itachi's seal is similar to yours. Both suppress chakra – Orochimaru's for you and Itachi's his own – while also allowing me to monitor you from afar. But your brother's is more like a lid to a container. If he's attacked, he should be able to gather enough chakra to take it off and defend himself. At least for a little while." She offered him what she hoped was a reassuring smile and looped an arm around his shoulders. To her surprise, he didn't try to shake her off. "And if it does come to that, I'll know about it. So, don't worry so much, okay?"

He nodded, the tension in his shoulders easing. "Good," he sighed.

She eyed the dark circles under his eyes and the tired look on his face with a frown and hugged him closer. "You should have slept last night instead of shredding your throat," she gently scolded. "I would have forced my way into Itachi's interrogation even if the Hokage hadn't sent for me – you knew that."

"Hn. I did," he agreed and all the tension she thought had gone away stiffened his shoulders again. "But I wasn't worried about that. It's Itachi, he's…" Sasuke trailed off and his expression turned distant as they continued down the path. "Itachi's extremely sick. So sick that he could die at any time," he finally says, and her arm tightens around him. "It was all I could think about."

"I see." That explained the sudden change in plan when she questioned him. He was supposed to reveal Danzō's involvement with the Uchiha clan massacre and Itachi's role as a spy instead of the watered-down version he'd given. It had caught her off guard, but now that she knew it made sense. "I was wondering what happened."

"Sorry," he muttered.

Fumiyo shook her head as she ruffled his hair. "No, it's fine," she reassured. "But don't try to hold this heavy burden by yourself, Sasuke. Leave Itachi to me and Sakura right now and focus on working on that jutsu of yours."

He scowled, but nodded in agreement. "Fine. The sooner I get rid of him the better," he muttered, reaching up to rub at his shoulder.

They continued the rest of the way in silence, keeping close tabs on their unwanted stalkers. Fumiyo kept Sasuke close, nodding politely to those they crossed paths with. They were all young shinobi, some genin maybe a year or so out of the academy and a couple chūnin older than the kids were now. The little genin had politely smiled at her and said hello while peering curiously at Sasuke before running off. But the chūnin had stopped to stare in awe and admiration for her while Sasuke got the complete opposite treatment once they recognized him. Anger welled inside of her and Fumiyo let her chakra leak out insidiously, sending the two running away in terror. And to her satisfaction it also scared off one of the Root members following them judging by the sudden loud rustling of the leaves behind them.

Other than those encounters, the rest of the walk to her house was uneventful.

Fumiyo and Sasuke stepped off the worn dirt road onto the cobblestone path leading to the house she had raised her niece. She took in the overgrown garden that they had once kept well maintained and the trees Kushina had used for target practice scored by her shuriken and kunai. Memories of scolding the girl and chasing her through the village before treating her to dango or anmitsu came to mind, but she immediately pushed them back into the recesses of her mind along with the other painful mix of memories and emotions that looking at the old house had stirred up. It wouldn't do her any good to dwell on those things right now, not when she had so many other things she needed to focus on.

She took a moment to recenter herself and continued toward the front door only to pause midstep as the bushes quietly rustled behind them. Without hesitation, Fumiyo spun on her heel and threw her kunai just as a set of shuriken flew through the air to join her blade. With kunai and sword drawn and raised, she and Sasuke stalked forward.

The leaves rustled again and instead of the Root operative they were expecting a small rabbit flew out of the forest and into the garden behind them.

A frown pulled at her mouth and she quickly scanned the trees with sharp eyes. But she didn't see anything, nor sense any chakra signatures except for Kakashi's hastily concealed presence. She pulled out of her defensive crouch with a sigh and stowed her kunai back in her sleeve before turning to make her way toward the door.

"Come, Sasuke," she called over her shoulder. "Whoever was out there is gone now. They were probably just playing some sort of prank."

A beat passed before Sasuke stowed his sword and followed her. Annoyance and frustration was clear on his face as she watched his Sharingan fade. They both knew it was no prank, but they couldn't do anything about it. Not now, not yet. Their best bet now was to get Itachi to admit everything himself and get Tsunade to step in and handle the situation for them. Anything else would raise a red flag.

"Let's get you settled in so you can get some rest."

Without waiting for a response, Fumiyo continued forward and unlocked the door. She'd only been inside once after being discharged from the hospital and it had been much the same as when she'd left it after fleeing the village. Someone had come and covered all the furniture along with putting boxes filled with Kushina and Minato's belongings into the small annex building used for storage. But other than that, the only difference was the thick coating of dust that had covered every available surface.

Fumiyo quickly opened all the doors and windows to release the late summer heat while Sasuke explored. When she finished, she grabbed the box off the kitchen table before waving for him to follow her upstairs. They went into the last room at the end of the hall and Fumiyo deposited the box on the bed.

She turned to him with a slight smile. "Here are some of Minato's old clothes for now," she said, gently patting the box behind her before pulling out a small pouch hidden between the folds of her obi and dropping it on top. "And here's a little money. I'll be at the hospital if you need me. Otherwise, get some rest. Okay?"

He gave her a quiet nod of thanks that she returned with another smile before saying goodbye.

The walk to the hospital is a short one. Curious eyes followed her as she made her way there, though no one stopped to engage her in conversation. As a shinobi, the feeling of being watched was unsettling. Instinct dictated that she either retreated from view or remove those eyes from ever looking at her again.

But it was good.

 _Keep looking at me,_ she thought. _And don't stop._

Inside the hospital is no different, except the nurses and doctors who treated her throw her frustrated but resigned looks when they see her without her sling. It gives her a good chuckle, but her laughter dies when she finally stopped outside Jiraiya's room.

Fumiyo gently rapped her knuckles against the door only to get no response. With a low sigh, she slid the door open and stepped inside. Jiraiya's still form lying prone on the lone bed immediately greeted her, but her purple eyes passed over him to land on the hooded figure sitting beside him with his back to the door. She quickly scanned the room as she moved to stand behind them. A fresh bouquet of flowers sat on the side table next to what looked like a bento with a purple handkerchief covered in white fire symbols tucked underneath the box. And next to that was a stack of get-well cards in different colors and sizes.

She gently tugged the hood off his head to reveal unruly blond hair. "Hello," she murmured softly, gently wrapping her arms around him from behind. Fumiyo pressed her cheek against his and followed his gaze to land on Jiraiya's peaceful expression. "How long have you been here?"

"Since early this morning," Naruto replied, gently cupping her arm. "Just after visiting hours started, I think."

Her arms tighten around him briefly and she pressed a kiss to his temple before releasing him. "You sleep any after I left this morning?" she hummed, moving to open the window. "How about food? Have you eaten?"

He nodded, leaning forward in his seat. "I slept a little afterward," he said, scrubbing a tired hand over his eyes. "Hinata came by around noon and brought me that." Naruto nodded toward the bento box beside him. "She couldn't stay for long though."

"Good. I was worried you hadn't while I was working down in T&I."

Naruto perked up at her words and sharp blue eyes met hers. "How's Sasuke?"

Fumiyo settled into the chair opposite his and carefully folded her hands in her lap. "He's fine. Worried about Itachi, but otherwise okay. He's at the house probably being spied on by someone in Root," she sighed, adjusting the tags hanging in her hair.

"Sakura told me Itachi's sick," he said. "I'd probably be able to heal him with Old Man Six Paths chakra, but not now. It's sealed with Kurama."

She frowned, unsurprised. "We're going to have to do something about that," she sighed. "Even though the jutsu wasn't perfect, at least the side effects aren't permanent. The three of us did pretty good considering how little time we had."

Naruto sent her a tired grin. "Only because you insisted on training us in the middle of a war, Auntie," he teased.

"Of course, I did," she said with slight indignation. "Lady Mito trained me during the Second War when I wasn't deployed, and I trained your mother during the Third when she wasn't. It's never a wrong time to keep your skills sharpened and add new jutsu to your arsenal, you know. So of course, I was going to train you and Hinata while I had the chance."

Her great-nephew eyed her thoughtfully, his expression serious now with no trace of his previous teasing. "What are we going to do about my seal? Pervy Sage has the key and even if he was awake, he wouldn't just give it to me."

Fumiyo met his gaze, mouth thinned to a line, and watched him as she considered her response. "I'm going to pry it open," she finally said.

His eyes went wide and he jumped to his feet. "What!"

"Just until it's about to fall apart and I'm able to alter the seal to create an opening for your chakra to flow like it did before," she told him as he stared at her slackjawwed. "Because Minato designed it as a lock and key mechanism this is our best bet. He took what me, Kushina, and Jiraiya taught him and created a masterpiece, Naruto. Something intricate and delicate and strong and near impossible to destroy." Her expression softened, and she offered him a reassuring smile when his panic didn't go away. "It'll be okay, Naruto. I won't let anything happen to either of you."

He nodded slowly, still looking a little lost. "Yeah, I know. But…"

"It's still scary?"

"Yeah." His expression turned distant for a second and she waited for him to finish speaking with Kurama. "When are we going to start?" he asked, eyes now filled with nothing but resolve and determination.

Her eyes swept over his tired face and she shook her head as she made a decision. "Not for a while. There are things we need to do first. We need to fix the backyard at the house and rebuild the mask storage temple, so we have the space to work. And most importantly, get you moved in," she listed off. "But before any of that, I suggest you go see Hinata. I know you miss her, kiddo."

He stilled, eyes quickly darting to look at Jiraiya. "But what about—?"

"Don't worry about Jiraiya. If anything changes, I'll send Shinta to get you," she reassured, "So go and find her."

Naruto searches her face for a moment before nodding, a smile spreading across his face. "See you later, Auntie," he said, squeezing her tight in a hug before slipping out of the room.

Once he was gone, Fumiyo sunk back into her stiff hospital chair and scrubbed a tired hand across her face. It had only been a couple days since she'd made the panic-filled trip on Hiroto's back from her small cottage on the lonely snow-covered mountain in the Land of Frost all the way to rainy Amegakure. And from that moment to then saving Jiraiya and getting him back to Konoha and afterward taking over the Uchiha brothers' cases, she hadn't had a moment to rest. With the way things had quickly become more difficult in that short amount of time, all signs pointed that there would be no time to rest at all. Not that she'd actually thought there would, but still. The next few weeks were going to be hectic.

But anything they faced now would be nothing compared to the hellish war they'd escaped from.

She pushed the thought away and glanced over at Jiraiya with a low sigh. "Wake up, you old pervert. There are people who want to see you…"

* * *

Kakashi took in the old traditional house belonging to Lady Uzumaki from his perch. It had been so long since he'd last laid an eye on the place. The last time had to have been when it had just been him and Minato-sensei still, before Rin and Obito and after his father. He could still remember the bitter but somehow overwhelmingly sweet scent of the special sealing inks Lady Fumiyo and Kushina made permeating the air. The dozens of scrolls filled with fūinjutsu projects and ideas covering every available flat surface. And the way Lady Fumiyo always insisted on plying him with copious amounts of food whenever he stepped through the door.

The house looked the same from his memory, except for the overgrown garden on the side and the repairs to the roof and siding facing the center of the village done with building materials that obviously didn't match the rest of the house. And judging by the weathering of the wood it looked like it was done at least a decade ago, maybe more. Perhaps even in the wake of the Kyūbi's attack considering the house was just within the blast radius.

Movement inside caught his attention and Kakashi lowered his copy of Icha Icha to get a better look. Sasuke stood in front of one of the upstairs windows with a towel covering his head. He suddenly turned and looked deliberately in his direction, spotting him almost instantly. Shock stiffened his spine, but Kakashi quickly recovered, flashing Sasuke a grin and a wave.

Sasuke frowned at him, eyes narrowed. After a beat, his expression cleared, and he raised his arm and waved back before disappearing from view.

There's no more movement from inside the house and nothing else happens. Not that he'd expected anything to. Even though Sasuke seemed different, he still wasn't like Naruto or Sakura. He was more reserved than the other two and less prone to some sort of outburst unless provoked, but the wave had surprised him. Kakashi had expected him to acknowledge him, but a _wave_? That was more than he'd imagined coming from the Uchiha.

It was another strange thing to add to the list.

Strange but welcome nonetheless.

Kakashi watched the house a few minutes longer before stowing his copy of Icha Icha away in his pouch and dropping down from his tree. Sasuke seemed fine, a little on edge considering what he'd witnessed earlier, but otherwise okay. He was still worried about him, but Sasuke wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

In the meantime, Kakashi had another student he needed to check on.

He retraced his steps through the trees until he found his way back to the main path and walked in the direction of the village proper. Once he was close enough, Kakashi leapt up onto the rooftops to avoid the heavy afternoon foot-traffic and quickly made his way to the hospital. He spotted the open window belonging to Master Jiraiya's room and made a snap decision.

"Yo!" he greeted with a two-fingered salute from his perch on the windowsill.

"Hi, Kakashi-sensei." His eye snapped open and, instead of finding Naruto, he saw Sakura standing in front of him at the foot of Master Jiraiya's bed with a clipboard clutched to her chest.

"Sakura." He glanced around her and nodded politely to the person sat beside the Toad Sage. "Lady Fumiyo."

The Uzumaki woman met his gaze with a smile. "Hello, Kakashi." Lady Fumiyo looked to Sakura again. "Do you think you'll be able to find it? It's easy to miss."

"I think so," she said with a nod. "But if I don't, I'm sure he'll find me wandering around." Sakura flashed the other woman a smile before waving goodbye to her and Kakashi.

Kakashi dropped down from the window to stand, suddenly finding it awkward with just him and Lady Fumiyo alone together. Sensing his plight, she took pity on him and spoke first. "Come to visit Jiraiya, Kakashi?"

He nodded, glancing around the room again. "Yes and no," he told her. "I was just looking for my other genin. He's Master Jiraiya's apprentice and I wanted to check on how he was doing. But he doesn't seem to be here." Kakashi glanced at the door Sakura disappeared through. "I see you've met of another my brats."

Her smile widened at his words as she thought of the pink haired girl. "Yes. Word of Sasuke coming to live with me has already spread so Sakura came to introduce herself to me. She wanted to know where my house is, so she could check on him."

That sounded like her. "Sakura cares very deeply for Sasuke."

"Oh, I can tell," Lady Fumiyo chuckled. Her head slightly tilted to the side as she quietly observed him. "Is the name of the boy you're looking for Naruto?" she asked after a moment.

Kakashi stared at her, silently wondering if she knew or at least suspected who the boy was to her and nodded. "Yes, that's his name," he told her. "Have you seen him?"

"Mhm, yes," she hummed softly, glancing briefly at Master Jiraiya's still face and he could have sworn she threw him a glare. "But you just missed him, I'm afraid."

Before he can respond, a soft knock sounded accompanied by a familiar voice. Lady Fumiyo bid the person to enter and the door opened to reveal Iruka on the other side. "Oh! Excuse me for interrupting," the younger man quickly apologized when he noticed them. "I just came to check on Naruto, but it seems like he isn't here."

"No need to apologize. I was just about to leave anyway," Lady Fumiyo replied as she rose from her seat, gently smoothing away the wrinkles on her kimono. "But as I was telling Kakashi, you've both missed my great-nephew. If you had arrived perhaps a few minutes earlier, you would have caught him just as he left." She let out a low sigh and readjusted the tags hanging from her hair before making her way toward the door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go make the Hokage cry."

Iruka's jaw dropped at her words and he stared at Kakashi in disbelief as she stepped past them both. But he ignores the younger man as anger welled up inside his chest. "Lady Fumiyo. Did you know?" he demanded. "Did you know and leave anyway?"

She paused in the doorway with her back to him and when she answers every word is laced with a barely contained fury. "No, I didn't. I was led to believe he'd died with my niece and her husband that night."


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

 **Retrograde**

 **Chapter Seven**

Neji raised his arm to block Hinata's strike and held back a wince. _She's gotten stronger._ Before he can recover and return her blow with one of his own, she moves in to strike again from an angle he doesn't expect. It throws him off balance, but he adjusts at the last second to execute a sloppy counter. He glanced up at her and for the first time he realizes Hinata's distracted.

Her eyes aren't entirely focused on him except for when he moves in to strike. Only then does she truly watch him and pick apart his defense like a seasoned veteran. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought he was facing Lord Hyūga right now.

For the rest of their sparring session, Neji watches Hinata. He watched her eyes drift in the direction of the village every time she went on the defensive until he'd finally break through her ironclad defenses. The moment he does, she immediately locked back onto him and ferociously attacked him in a flurry of strikes and kicks that break through his guard with targeted precision. He dodged her last strike to his shoulder and, instead of returning the blow like before, jumped back out of her reach.

Her eyes narrowed and he watched in surprise as her stance changed. For a moment he thinks she'll use her new jutsu, but the chakra is denser and heavier, and she isn't producing the lion headed shrouds. Without warning Hinata sprinted toward him and they sparred in earnest again. This time Neji easily keeps up with her and they seem to be on more equal footing, though the increased strength behind her strikes remains the same. But instinct kept him from letting her chakra coated hands land a solid hit.

Something told him he didn't want to come in contact with them.

Hinata blocked his strike to her upper arm and immediately countered. She aimed for his sternum and for the first time that morning he reacts out of sheer instinct.

"Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation!"

Neji spun and deflected her, sending Hinata stumbling backward without warning. "Hinata!" he cried, shooting forward to catch her. "Are you okay?"

She nodded as he helped her stand. "Yes, I'm okay," she reassured with a small smile.

He frowned, unconvinced. "Are you sure?" he tried again, watching on as she brushed her clothes off. "You never did say why you burst into tears when I walked out here earlier."

Hinata's expression softened at his words and for a second he thinks she was going to cry again but she shook her head. "And like I told you, it was nothing, Neji – I was just thinking of something from last night."

He nodded, still not quite convinced. "Is that why you were distracted during our spar?" he asked, "You kept looking toward the village." When she doesn't immediately respond, his thoughts turn to the gossip he'd overheard from their clansmen. "Are you worried about Naruto? I heard about Master Jiraiya."

Hinata flushed red and her eyes went wide as she turned mute.

Relief flooded him as he fought back a smile. "Maybe you should go see him, then," he suggested. "Naruto would probably like to see a familiar face right now." She doesn't respond, but that's expected. "I'm sure he'd appreciate it."

She nodded quietly before rushing past him inside the house. He smiled to himself. _Hopefully this will help her some_ , he thought.

Neji followed her in after a moment and grabbed his bag from his room. He needed to replenish his supplies in case he got sent on a mission without warning. With the current state of the shinobi world, the ever growing Akatsuki threat, and now the hospitalization of one of the Sannin, the situation was growing more dire. But perhaps with the capture of Itachi Uchiha, Konoha would be able to better deal with their current problems with one less Akatsuki member threatening them. And even if nothing came from his interrogation in the end, it wouldn't hurt to be prepared.

He left the Hyūga compound and made his way into the village. The walk to the shopping district was uneventful as he navigated the mildly busy streets. Eventually, Neji reached the weapons shop he favored nestled between a bookshop and a teahouse. He nodded politely to the old retired shinobi who ran it and immediately made his way toward the back where the explosive tags and scrolls were kept.

"Did you hear?" someone asked. Neji glanced over his shoulder. One of the shopkeeper's friends – another retired shinobi about the same age – stood at the desk with him.

The shopkeeper didn't look up from the kunai he was sharpening. "About what, Kenji?"

"The Ogre Bride's returned to Konoha."

"The kijo woman?" The shopkeeper whistled. "Thought she was dead."

Kenji shook his head. "Nope. Didn't you hear about Jiraiya-sama? She's the one who saved him and got him back here." He shook his head. "I can't believe you thought she was dead, Gin."

"There were those rumors…"

Kenji scoffed. "Bah! Like a powerful kunoichi like her could be taken down that easily!" he exclaimed. "She can go head to head with any of the Sannin like it's nothing. Don't you remember when they were teenagers and she would spar against Tsunade-sama or Jiraiya-sama? Boy was that a sight to see!"

"I remember," the shopkeeper snorted. "I had to help replant all those damned trees they would knock down and fix the craters they'd smash into the ground." He chuckled dryly. "Had to do it every week for over a month before the Hokage threatened to only let them train in the Forest of Death…"

They fell silent and when it seemed like they wouldn't say anything more Neji gathered a couple bundles of explosive tags and a few scrolls from the shelving in front of him. He ignored the old men at the desk and crossed over to the other side of the store where the kunai and other bladed ninja tools were kept. His hand hesitated over the handle of a usually shaped kunai when one of them spoke again.

"Say, Gin…"

The sound of the blade being sharpened paused for half a second. "What is it, Kenji?"

"Where do you think the Ogre Bride's been?" his friend asked. "After she left the village, she had to have been doing _something._ Before Tsunade-sama came back to be Hokage, she spent her days drinking and gambling. So, she had to have been doing something, too, don't you think?"

The shopkeeper sighed tiredly. "I don't know. But if I had to guess, she probably isolated herself from other people. After all, she'd been close to Lord Fourth and his wife…It was probably hard for her to stay after they died."

"Mm. Especially after what happened to her clan all those years before, too," Kenji whispered. "Poor woman…"

"I'll be surprised if she decides to stay," Gin said.

"If Tsunade-sama could be convinced to come back, then maybe she'll stay too," his friend suggested.

The shopkeeper grunted. "We'll just have to see."

Neji grabbed a new set of kunai from the shelf in front of him and made his way toward them. The shopkeeper put aside his kunai when he noticed him and looked over his halfmoon spectacles at his purchases. "The usual, I see," he muttered to himself before wrapping them. Neji paid the man and after adding the package to his bag bid him and his friend goodbye.

He wandered around the shopping district some before deciding to grab lunch from the takoyaki vendor. After he finished, he slowly began making his way back home, taking the long way around the village this time as he thought about what he'd overheard at the weapons shop.

Though he wasn't completely sure, it seemed like they were talking about the shinobi woman everyone in the village had been whispering about the last few days. What he'd heard back there had been more of the same. But the part about calling her a demon and an ogre's bride was new. He could hardly guess what that was about, especially since he'd yet to lay eyes on the mysterious Uzumaki woman.

As far as he was able to piece together, she was extremely formidable and feared for her sealing abilities. But above all else, it was clear that she was well liked and highly regarded by others.

She didn't at all sound suspicious like Shikamaru believed.

And almost as if on cue, Neji spotted the Nara lying in the grass beside the path. He came to a stop beside him, but before he could greet him Shikamaru spoke.

"The mission was a success. Naruto and Sakura were finally able to bring Sasuke back to the village," he said.

He glanced down at him and nodded. "Yes. Hinata told me," he replied. "She also told me they were able to capture his brother as well."

Shikamaru sighed. "And guess who's handling his interrogation."

Judging by the disgruntled expression on his face the answer was obvious. "Is it Lady Uzumaki?" he asked, humoring him.

"Yeah," he grunted, glaring up at the clear sky. "I heard Sasuke had put some sort of mental block on his brother's mind using genjutsu that was strong enough to keep Ino's dad out. That's when Lady Tsunade called for her."

"I was at the teahouse with Hanabi yesterday when I overheard that she used to work down in T&I," Neji told him, "That's probably why the Hokage sent for her, Shikamaru…" He sighed and folded his arms, shaking his head to himself. "I don't understand why you're so suspicious of her."

Shikamaru sat up and turned to face him, eyes narrowed. "Because there's something off about her. I don't know what it is, but I know there's _something_ ," he explained.

Neji frowned. Though he had yet to meet her, he didn't agree with his assessment. "I've heard a lot of things about Lady Uzumaki ever since she showed up and the only weird thing anybody had to say about her was when they called her a demon and an ogre's bride."

This gives the Nara pause and he stared up at Neji with a confused frown. "Why would they call her that?" he asked.

"I don't know," Neji sighed as he shook his head again. "But I doubt it's as bad as you think. From what I can tell, no one feels threatened by her, Shikamaru. I don't think she's out to get anybody, least of all Naruto."

"Maybe you're right, Neji," he said, "or maybe I am. We'll just have to wait and see."

* * *

Neji slid open the door to the main house of the Hyūga compound and immediately heard the excited whispering. He followed the voices down the hall and into the room usually reserved for entertaining guests to find Kō and Natsu standing inside. Hinata and Hanabi's childhood caretakers stood beside the doorway with wide, shocked eyes as they bickered back and forth.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Natsu jumped at the sound of his voice. She opened and closed her mouth several times without saying anything as she struggled to respond to his question. Her eyes darted in Kō's direction and he took pity on her.

"The Nine-Tails boy was here," Kō told him, brow furrowed.

"Naruto was here," he repeated, "Do you know why?"

The two shared another look that he didn't understand. "We don't know," Natsu finally answered as she shrugged helplessly. "The boy looked terrible, though. He had really dark circles under his eyes and they were really red. He looked kind of pale too. A little lost now that I think about it…"

Neji frowned at her words. He wished he'd been here. Maybe he'd have been able to help Naruto, even if it was just a little bit. He should have come straight back from the weapons shop instead of wasting time wandering aimlessly around the village afterward.

"Did he say anything?" he demanded, stepping closer to them both. "Anything at all?"

Kō immediately shook his head. "No," he said, "Before I could say anything, Lady Hinata came forward."

He stared at them, confused. "Hinata..." He felt like he was missing something here. "What did she do?"

Natsu and Kō glanced at each other again. "She took one look at him and took Naruto by the hand," she told him, fidgeting restlessly with the sleeve of her kimono as she met his gaze. "Lady Hinata left with the boy and hasn't come back yet. We assume she's still with him."

"I'm worried about her," Kō admitted. "After she came back earlier, she didn't seem like herself."

"What do you mean?" he asked, thinking of how he'd pushed her to go visit Naruto. Though he'd had his doubts about anything changing for Hinata so soon, this was good. Maybe she was finally starting to crack at the last piece of her shell.

Kō shook his head. "I don't know. It's hard to explain, Neji," he said, folding his arms as he stared over his shoulder into the hall. "She just seemed...different."

"Different good, or different bad?"

Natsu shrugged her shoulders, gesturing to Kō beside her. "That's what we were trying to figure out before you came in."

"Well, if she doesn't seem unwell, then there isn't anything to worry about at the moment," Neji decided after staring at them for a moment.

Natsu seemed less concerned about whatever strange behavior Hinata had exhibited earlier than Kō did. In fact, she seemed to be focused on the part where Hinata had left with Naruto. And if he was honest, so was he. He could hardly believe that had happened.

"You're right," Kō conceded with a sigh. "I probably just imagined it anyway after seeing her leave with the boy."

He nodded before leaving them alone again and making his way to his room. It was getting late and if he didn't leave soon, he was going to be late for training with his team.

After storing his new tools away, Neji left the compound again and quickly made his way toward Training Ground 11. He picked his way through the trees, listening for sounds of Lee or Tenten already training, but didn't hear anything. _They must be running late,_ he thought as he finally made it to the meeting place. As expected, it's empty. He waits a few minutes before deciding to start without them. But he barely finishes making the first strike against the wooden dummy when he hears it.

Humming. Coming from just beyond the trees to his left.

Neji cautiously made his way toward the source. He couldn't imagine what anyone could be doing all the way out here. Training Ground 3 was small and mostly isolated, surrounded by thick trees and foliage. No paths led to it, causing it to be forgotten and overlooked. The only reason his team had even found it in the first place was because of one Guy-sensei's so-called training exercises that Lee had roped him and Tenten into participating with them. But they used it almost exclusively and rarely ever saw anybody else, so this was a surprise.

The humming gets louder the closer he gets. Almost immediately he realizes it's coming from a girl, and again he wonders what she's doing out here. There's nothing but the training ground and forest in all directions surrounding it.

He stepped a little closer and peered around the tree in front of him. Neji sucked in a breath in shock and she must hear it because her head immediately snaps up. Her pale eyes landed on his hiding spot and it felt like she was looking right at him even though her Byakugan wasn't activated.

"Who's there?" Hinata demanded sharply. "Show yourself!"

He slowly stepped into view, hands raised. "It's just me," he reassured.

"Oh!" Hinata relaxed when she saw him, dropping a kunai he hadn't noticed to the ground beside her.

Neji stepped closer, eyes darting down to look at the person lying in her lap. They were faced away from him with their arms wrapped tightly around Hinata, but their blond hair made it easy to guess who it was. He hadn't completely believed Kō and Natsu earlier, but now he definitely did.

Naruto shifted closer to Hinata and her fingers immediately dropped on his head to comb through his hair. With her other hand, she raised a finger to her lips before beckoning him to come closer.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked softly.

He gestured behind him. "I was waiting for Lee and Tenten so we could train together," he told her, glancing down at Naruto. Neji could see his face from this angle. He was asleep with his face pressed against Hinata's stomach, completely at ease despite the dark circles under his eyes. "What about you?" His gaze darted down again. "I see Naruto's with you..."

She let out a quiet sigh, glancing down at him. "Yes. He...didn't want to be alone."

Neji nodded in understanding, thoughts immediately going to Master Jiraiya. "Do you think he'll be okay?"

"He will be," Hinata said confidently as she gently stroked Naruto's cheek.

He watched his cousin closely, hardly able to believe she was this close to her longtime crush without falling apart. As far as Neji knew Hinata was too shy and skittish when it came to Naruto. And Naruto was extremely oblivious to her feelings for him, completely blind to what everyone else already knew. But this? This screamed the opposite of all that and he could hardly believe what he was seeing.

"Are you okay?" The words slip out without permission.

She cocked her head to the side. "Yeah, I am." A bemused smile spread across her face. "Does this have to do with this morning? I'm okay, Neji. Promise."

Neji stared at her, unsure. He didn't know if he agreed with that. "Hinata—"

"Neji! Lee! Are you guys here yet?"

"We're over here, Tenten!" he called back.

"What are you doing? The training ground's back here." Tenten stepped into view a moment later, but stopped short when she spotted Hinata and Naruto. She turned her slackjawwed expression on Neji and raised a shaky hand to point at them. "Uh, wha—?" she stuttered out. "Neji, what's going on?"

He quickly grabbed her arm and brought it back down. But before he can respond, another voice filled the air. Neji turned and found himself staring at a face he hadn't seen in years.

"So, this is where you were hiding…" he drawled, completely ignoring Neji and Tenten's presence.

"Sasuke," Hinata greeted easily.

The Uchiha's gaze dropped down to land on Naruto. "How is he?" he asked. "I went to the hospital and Sakura told me about the Sannin."

"Stressed," she told him as she stroked Naruto's cheek again. "I don't think he's slept much."

Sasuke frowned. "Hn, that makes two of us then."

Hinata gently shook Naruto by the shoulder to wake him. His eyes slowly opened and she whispered something that had him immediately bolting upward into a sitting position. "Sasuke!" he exclaimed excitedly. "They let you out!"

"Yeah, they did, loser," he agreed with a slight dip of his chin. The corner of his mouth pulled up into a sarcastic smirk and Neji could have sworn the look in his eye was teasing. "You look like death warmed over."

Without missing a beat, Naruto tipped his head back and barked out a laugh. "Look who's talking," he laughed as he grabbed Hinata by the hand and pulled her up off the ground with him.

Neji watched the scene in front of him in disbelief. Naruto and Sasuke traded barbed insults back and forth without missing a beat, and despite the verbal abuse they spat at each other the two seemed more friendly than antagonistic. His gaze slid away from the two boys to land on his cousin and he immediately spots something that startles him. Hinata's hand is still tightly wrapped around Naruto's and there's no visible sign of anxiety or nervousness. In fact, her hand is completely relaxed in his like it's the most natural thing in the world.

A small, feminine laugh filled the air and his head snapped up at the sound. Hinata laughed again, a genuine smile on her face. He stared at her, surprised at how easy and natural it sounded. He'd never seen her like this before.

A tug on his sleeve drew his attention away and Neji looked down at Tenten. "What's going on?" she hissed out of the corner of her mouth. "When did this – whatever this is – happen?"

He shook his head once. "I don't know, Tenten," Neji told her quietly and Naruto's head snapped in his direction.

The grin on his face faded as he met Neji's gaze. His blue eyes went wide with shock as his face went slack. Naruto stared at him with an intensity he didn't understand, and he swore he was on the verge of tears. Neji frowned and fought the urge to fidget and look away.

It was the same look Hinata had given him this morning.

"Neji…" he breathed.

He offered him an uncertain smile. "Naruto," he returned. His friend doesn't respond, and an awkward silence filled the air between them.

Sasuke heaved a sigh and dug into the pouch bound to his thigh to pull out a sizable coin purse. He shook the bag by its drawstrings to make the money inside rattle audibly. "Want to go eat at Ichiraku's, loser?" he asked. It sounds less like a friendly offer and more like an order judging by the hard edge to his voice. "I'll pay for every bowl and all the toppings you want," Sasuke adds belatedly when Naruto doesn't respond.

Naruto visibly shook his head and a grin spread across his face like the last few minutes hadn't just happened. "I'm going to hold you to that, Sasuke!" he exclaimed with an excited gleam in his eyes. "You better be ready to empty your wallet tonight."

The Uchiha rolled his eyes and Neji notices for the first time that they don't match anymore. "Tch. It's not like it's my money anyway," he tossed over his shoulder as he walked back toward the village.

"Sasuke, wait for us, damnit!" Naruto yelled after him. He sighed and grinned toothily at Neji and Tenten, his earlier melancholy completely forgotten. "See you guys later!" And before either of them can say anything, he scooped Hinata up into his arms and sprinted after Sasuke.

"B-bye, Neji, Tenten," Hinata called out with a shaky wave over Naruto's shoulder as she clung to him.

He stared after them bemusedly, not quite comprehending what had just happened.

Beside him Tenten turned her incredulous expression on him. "What the hell was that?" she demanded, pointing insistently at the empty space in front of them. "Did that really happen just now?"

"I don't know, Tenten…" Neji shrugged helplessly. "I honestly don't know."

* * *

 **Kijo =** **ogress, demoness**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

 **Retrograde**

 **Chapter Eight**

Kakashi watched Sasuke, Naruto, and Hinata out of the corner of his eye under the guise of an older gentleman from the other end of the counter at Ichiraku Ramen.

The boys were arguing about what they thought the best ramen toppings were while they ate with Hinata occasionally giving her input after Naruto would ask her opinion. Surprisingly, they seemed to be in good spirits with one another, despite the less than friendly terms they had been on previously. And even more surprising was the way Hinata was interacting with Naruto. Gone was the shy, timid girl who normally struggled to interact with his blonde student and in her place was a confident young woman who seemed to have no trouble expressing her thoughts to him.

If he didn't know any better, Kakashi would have thought he was looking at a set of imposters. Genjutsu had crossed his mind once or twice while watching them, but that implied someone had done that to them and he couldn't come up with a suspect or plausible reason why someone would. Nor could he think of any other possible explanations for what was happening. And the more he thought about it, the more absurd the thought became.

"So, what jutsu can you do with your Rinnegan?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi glanced over to look at Sasuke. That was something he wanted to know as well.

Sasuke frowned, glaring into the bottom of his ramen bowl. "I don't know yet," he admitted, lifting a hand to cover the left side of his face. "I tried using Amenotejikara earlier and almost knocked myself out. It uses so much chakra – more than I was anticipating."

 _Amenote-what?_ Kakashi had never heard of that jutsu, but if it was a visual jutsu unique to the legendary Rinnegan then it had to be powerful. So it was hardly a surprise that it required a massive amount of chakra.

"Are you okay?" Hinata asked, "You didn't hurt yourself did you?"

He shook his head. "No. I just tried switching with a rock I found in the backyard."

"I hope you only did it once," Naruto said, slurping up some noodles from his third bowl of ramen. "Sakura'll kill you if she found out you were overdoing it." Sasuke nodded in agreement, sharing a knowing look with the other two that Kakashi didn't understand as he added his bowl to the growing stack in front of them.

Naruto starts to say something else, but a loud shout draws their attention. Kakashi glanced over his shoulder as Naruto and Hinata turned to look, but Sasuke doesn't react except to glare into his bowl.

" _Sasuke!"_ Ino ran straight for Sasuke, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind. She hugged him tightly with an animated grin, but he was stiff as a board. "Oh, Sasuke, I'm so glad you came home!" she cooed, completely oblivious to his blatant disinterest in her.

Sasuke lifted his head to signal to Ayumi for a third bowl of ramen, completely ignoring the Yamanaka girl clinging to him. He rolled his eyes in exasperation when she made no indication of letting go before swiftly peeling her off him. "Ino," he grunted in greeting.

"I really missed you, Sasuke," she said while moving in to cling to his arm. He deftly dodged her by adding his empty bowl to the growing pile in front of them. "Did you miss me?"

He turned to look her in the eye and Kakashi watched as Ino froze the moment she noticed his Rinnegan. She seemed to struggle for words before visibly shaking her head and plastering on an eager smile. But it doesn't get her the response she's looking for.

An indifferent frown turned down the corners of his mouth and Sasuke slowly shook his head. He opened his mouth to respond, but a new voice spoke instead.

"Sorry I'm late!"

Kakashi looked over to see Sakura as she rushed forward from the direction of the hospital. She came to a stop to stand beside her teammates, hurriedly rolling up the scroll in her hands. "I was mixing medicine and lost track of time," she explained, haphazardly dropping it into her pouch.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and Kakashi stared wide eyed as he pushed her down to sit in his now empty seat. "Eat," he grunted as Ayumi placed a fresh bowl of ramen in front of her. "You haven't eaten since this morning."

"I knew I shouldn't have told you that," she sighed, but there's a fond smile on her face. "Thank you." He gave a silent nod and pulled his hands from her shoulders. Kakashi expected him to step away, but to the jōnin's astonishment he remained close at her back.

The Yamanaka girl notices this as well and she lets out a noise of disbelief before starting to interrogate them. But a flash of familiar red hair out of the corner of his eye pulls Kakashi's attention away and he watched as Lady Uzumaki slowly approached the ramen stand from the direction of Hokage Tower. Her eyes were downcast, looking at her feet, like she was carefully watching every step she took, and her cheeks were flushed a bright red that clashed against her hair. But as she passed him, her head snapped up to look directly at him with confusion in her surprisingly clear eyes. He met her gaze with a hesitant smile that she doesn't immediately return, sending his heart pounding. _Does she know it's me?_ But the upturning of her mouth a moment later eases his panic.

"Hello," she greeted softly with a polite nod.

He stiffly nodded back and turned his attention back onto his nearly empty ramen bowl. Lady Uzumaki continued on her way, ignoring the bickering girls and Sasuke to stand behind Naruto and wrap her arms around him in a big hug. From his position, he couldn't see her face hidden behind Naruto's, nor could he hear whatever she said to him or his whispered response over Sakura and Ino's loud voices. But from what he can see of them, their interactions are relaxed and smooth. It surprises him, considering they'd just met for the first time today. Kakashi had expected awkwardness and stilted conversation with some angry accusations and outbursts added to the mix considering the quick tempers both had.

So this throws him off just as much as Sasuke's bizarre behavior since returning home.

Lady Uzumaki ruffled Naruto's hair before disappearing in the evening foot-traffic just as suddenly as she had appeared.

Kakashi silently observed his students for a little while longer as he finished his now cold ramen. He had to admit that his little brats aren't so little anymore. They weren't the fresh out of the academy genin that he'd trained and went on D-rank missions with who hadn't yet fully understood what it meant to be a shinobi. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were full-fledge ninja now even if two of them didn't hold the rank of chūnin yet, each trained by Konoha's legendary Sannin and fully capable of handling anything that came their way, but he could still see traces of the kids who used to try to peer behind his mask with their childish schemes and make his life a living hell in their own adorable way.

They were still his students, but something about them had changed at some point without him noticing. It went beyond just the type of change that came with growing teenagers like Lady Tsunade believed, but something else entirely. Something that sets him on edge and made him question what was in front of him.

And he was going to figure out what that something was one way or another.

Decision made, Kakashi threw down some money on the counter and left the ramen stand behind along with his students.

* * *

Hinata and Naruto broke through the trees after what seemed like forever and the dilapidated Uzumaki clan's mask storage temple greeted them on the other side. It looked much the same as when Hinata last seen it. The temple had obviously seen better days, but it was definitely in better shape than in the future. And from the fresh scent of dirt permeating the air, it seemed that Fumiyo had temporarily repaired the stone pillars holding up the main awning with her Earth Release.

Naruto's hand tightened around hers and she dragged her gaze away to look at him. He was staring up at the large swirl symbol of the Uzumaki clan carved above the entrance in awe like he couldn't believe it was really there. It was the same look he had on his face when they had come up here for the first time with Fumiyo to look at the oni masks and scrolls she later used to train her and Naruto.

A soft smile pulled at her mouth and she squeezed back. "Come on. She's waiting for us," she gently reminded.

He nodded and together they entered the dark storage temple. Almost immediately Hinata spots the lone figure standing against the wall beside the set of double doors. Fumiyo held a hand glowing with chakra against her chest with her head tipped back to rest against the wall. Her eyes were closed, face relaxed as she healed herself. The rickety floorboards creaked under their feet as they approached, and one purple eye slowly opened to peer at them in the darkness.

A gentle smile curved at her mouth. "Hey, kids," she greeted them. Her eyes quickly swept over them searchingly before settling on Naruto. "You look much better now, kiddo."

He nodded. "I feel better, too."

"Good," Fumiyo murmured softly.

Hinata looked at the hand she still held to her chest and frowned worriedly. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Fumiyo followed her gaze and a reassuring smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. "Oh, I'm fine, Hinata dear. I just drank a little too much sake with Tsuna earlier," she explained, reaching up to push back her bangs. "She needed a drink after our conversation."

Hinata frowned, thinking of the last time Fumiyo and Lady Tsunade had spoken about the lie that had separated her from Naruto. It had been one of the rare days when the Ōtsutsukis hadn't attacked the village, leaving everything somewhat peaceful, even though everyone was still on edge as they prepared for the next barrage. But one moment it had been quiet and in the next chaos had erupted as the two cousins argued and threw accusations at each other. Thankfully, they hadn't gone to blows, but it had been obvious that the incident had put a strain on their relationship.

"How'd it go?" Naruto asked as he folded his arms with a concerned pinch to his face.

"Better than last time," she sighed, finally pulling her hand from her chest. "Especially since I knew with absolute certainty she has no idea what happened that night." Fumiyo adjusted the shawl wrapped around her shoulders and stepped closer to stand in front of them. "We cried a little and drank a lot and now everything is okay," she murmured, purple eyes beseeching them to understand.

"But that just means Pervy Sage _definitely_ knows something—"

She shook her head sharply. "And it will be between me and him when he wakes." Fumiyo's expression softened as she held his face between her hands. "I know you want to know as well, but not at the cost of your relationship with him. Understand?" At his defeated nod, she turned her attention on Hinata. "Are you ready?"

Hinata met her gaze and nodded. "Yes."

A small smile tugged at the corner of Fumiyo's mouth as she bit her thumb and rapidly started weaving hand seals. _I. Inu. Tori. Saru. Hitsuji._ A small cloud of smoke formed as her summons answered her call and two familiar red pandas stood in front of them. Kazane glared expectantly up at Fumiyo while Shinta worriedly glanced around. His little eyes widened when he spotted Naruto and Hinata standing behind them and he froze in shock.

"Well, what is it now?" Kazane demanded, "You seem to only summon both of us when something's wrong."

Fumiyo merely smiled. "I thought you two would want to meet Naruto," she said, pointing over at him.

Kazane whipped around at her words and too fast for Hinata to see she leapt at Naruto's chest. He fell and hit the floor with a crash and a groan.

"Naruto!" Hinata gasped.

She silently loomed over him for a long minute before finally speaking. "He has Kushina's face and Minato's coloring," she whispered in disbelief. "Shinta, come look!"

Shinta hurriedly made his way closer to stand beside them to get a better look at Naruto. "Who is he, Lady Fumiyo?" he asked quietly.

"He's Kushina's son. And her successor."

Their little heads whipped around to stare at their mistress in shock. "Successor?!" they shrieked, leaping at Fumiyo.

She caught them easily with practiced ease as they scrambled to cling to both of her shoulders. "Yes, just like Kushina was Lady Mito's successor," she explained with a proud smile as Naruto flipped back up onto his feet. "And the girl beside him is Hinata – _my_ successor."

Hinata met Kazane's critical stare head on and waited. Between the two red panda siblings, she was the one she needed to gain the approval of. But what she says next throws her off.

"Why do this Hyūga girl and the boy have the same eyes as you, Fumiyo?" she demanded furiously as she leapt down to the floor. "What have you done?"

"I think you already know."

Kazane glared accusingly at her mistress before turning her scowl on Hinata and Naruto again. "Did you use that jutsu?"

"No, we didn't," Hinata answered truthfully, kneeling so that she could properly meet her gaze. "We created a new one together to take us much, much further into the past than the Heavenly Body Sealing Technique. There was a war and our Hokage wanted us to escape and make sure it doesn't happen."

She waited patiently as Kazane silently eyed her. The red panda's scowl deepened as she crossed her arms, stripped tail sweeping back and forth against the floor in agitation. "Tell me. What did I think of your creating this sealing jutsu?" she finally said.

"You hated it," Naruto deadpanned in a flat voice. "So much that you threatened to break your contract with Aunt Fumiyo."

"Onee-san!" Shinta let out a horrified gasp. _"How could you!"_

Kazane stared at them with wide eyes. "I would never!" she denied, whipping around to look back at Fumiyo. _"Never!"_

Hinata reached out and stroked the soft fur on her head to calm her. "You did, but only because you were worried about her," she told her. "You didn't want anything like the last time she used that jutsu to happen again."

"Then you know, don't you?" she murmured as she pulled Hinata's hand away. "About what she did."

"We both do," Hinata confirmed with a firm nod, pointing up at Naruto. "Fumiyo told us when we started making the new seal."

Kazane scurried closer to scrutinize Hinata with her dark eyes. "Then you must also know what it means to be her successor. The things you must be willing to sacrifice – willing to do – in order to protect him." She looked Hinata up and down, taking measure of her strength. "Are you willing to die for him? Ready to devote everything to protect the Nine-Tails jinchūriki even if it meant your life?" She glared up at Hinata. "Well, are you, girl?"

Naruto immediately jumps forward to argue with the summoning animal, but Hinata throws her arm out to stop him. She firmly shook her head once, silencing him. "I am a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf willing to put my very life on the line for the village that I love," she said, boldly meeting Kazane's sharp glare. Her thoughts go to every time her husband had to fight for his life because they wanted to steal Kurama away from him. If her past actions and all the future ones she was sure to make were any indication, then there was only one response to her demanding question. "But I love my husband too, and I want to always stand by his side. I'll fight as hard as I possibly can to protect him no matter the enemy we face or how much it hurts him to watch me fall. And I'll keep fighting until I no longer can."

"What if your best effort ends in failure?"

She thinks of that one time before the Fourth War and another more recent incident facing the Ōtsutsuki. "Then I'll try again!" Hinata told her. "I never give up or go back on my word because that's my nindō. My ninja way!" Naruto's hand came down to rest on her shoulder and she leaned into his warmth.

Kazane stared at her for a long moment before nodding sharply. "Okay," she said with another nod. She stuck her paw out expectantly in her brother's direction. "Shinta! It's time! Bring us the scroll!"

Shinta leapt from Fumiyo's shoulders, weaving a combination of hand seals as he fell. A scroll twice the size of the creature popped into existence in a cloud of smoke when he landed and together the two of them caught it with practiced ease. They gently laid it at Hinata's feet and carefully unfurled it to reveal the names of those who had previously signed the contract. She recognized the last three, but after a quick glance it became clear that all of them were Uzumaki.

At their encouraging nods, Hinata kneeled in front of the scroll and bit into the flesh of her thumb hard enough to draw blood. Without hesitation, she signed her name beside Naruto's mother's on the delicate parchment. Kazane quickly rolled up the scroll once she was done and it disappeared in another puff of smoke.

"I like your resolve to keep fighting, so call on us any time, girl," she told Hinata. "We'll lend you our sealing skills and help you in battle from now on. Understand?"

Shinta nodded in agreement. "Yes, Lady Hinata, please don't hesitate to summon us. Kazane and I will support you from here on like we would Lady Fumiyo."

A small smile curved at Hinata's mouth. "I will," she promised.

The two summons stared at her and Naruto for a long moment with an indecipherable expression before disappearing with a pop.

* * *

A frustrated sigh escaped her as she scrubbed her hands across her face. The results of the battery of tests she'd ran this morning stared back at her and she brushed her fingers across her naked forehead. It was worse than she initially thought. Much worse.

Sakura had put on a brave face for Sasuke once they were alone after leaving the ramen stand, purposefully steering the conversation toward safe topics. She was sure he'd sensed something was wrong, but thankfully hadn't said anything. If he had, she wasn't sure she'd have been able to tell him the truth. The whole time she had been an internal wreck, a mix of panic and anxiety as her thoughts kept drifting toward the scroll in her pocket.

Said scroll that was now driving her crazy with its contents.

A steaming cup of hot tea held by a hand with a set of finely manicured nails painted dark red suddenly filled her vision. Sakura slowly followed the hand upward to find a pair of concerned violet eyes staring back.

"Drink, child," Fumiyo murmured softly as she pressed the hot mug into her cold hands. "It will calm you."

Sakura gratefully accepted the tea and took a long sip. "Thank you. I needed this."

The older woman nodded as she moved to sit at the table across from her with a cup of her own. "Where's Sasuke?" she asked.

"Upstairs sleeping," Sakura told her, glancing toward the stairs behind them. "As soon as we got here, he went straight to bed. I don't think he slept at all last night." Not that she thought he'd have been able to in a chakra suppression cell with his every thought no doubt centered on his brother.

"Mm. He didn't actually, so that's good," Fumiyo hummed into her tea. She gently tapped the edge of the scroll set on the table between them and shot Sakura a curious look. "What's this, dear?"

Her green eyes darted down to look at it and her fist clenched tightly in her lap. Reluctantly, she pushed it across the table for her to see. "The results of Itachi's blood test," she whispered.

Fumiyo wordlessly picked up the scroll and Sakura watched as her eyes quickly darted across the parchment, face expressionless and giving nothing away. A frown suddenly turned down the corners of her mouth and she knew she'd seen it. She looked away and dropped her headed into her hands as tears begun to sting at her eyes.

"I don't know if I'll be able to keep my promise to Sasuke," she mumbled, feeling helpless. "I thought we'd have a little more time to work with than I initially thought, but this changes things. The chakra in my seal is extremely low and by the time I would be able to replenish it, it'd probably be too late. My resources are limited and the things I need I can't get inside the village. And I definitely can't go to Lady Tsunade for help. It's already bad enough I can't go see him myself…"

She was rambling now, and she knew it. But she couldn't stop. It was the only thing on Sakura's mind since she had gotten her hands on his test results. And it was hard to keep this a secret from Sasuke. But she absolutely could not tell him. There was no telling how his brother's death would affect him this time around if she failed.

"I see…Then maybe this might help you."

Sakura slowly lifted her head and watched as Fumiyo walked back to the table with a large storage scroll. With a flick of her wrist, she opened it and pulled back one of the long, heavy sleeves of her kimono to reveal a set of prayer beads tight around her wrist. But that isn't what catches her attention. An intricate black seal came to life on the skin of her inner arm, stretching all the way from her fingertips to her elbow. A key, she realized as she brought her hand down on the matching seal painted on the scroll. The lock opened with a pop and an accompanying cloud of smoke that quickly dispersed after a moment.

Without thinking, she leaned forward with excitement to pick up the closest one before quickly snatching her hand back. "May I?" At the other woman's nod, Sakura eagerly started sifting through the various bundles of dried plants and herbs and glass vials filled with liquid extracts and pollen harvested from all kinds of flora. "Where did you get all of this?" she breathed out, holding up one of the vials to the light and marveling at how clear the color was. "I've only ever seen some of these in the medical textbooks Lady Tsunade had me study."

"When I was in the Land of Frost, I lived on a snow-capped mountain near a small village of people," Fumiyo told her as she rolled up the scroll containing Itachi's test results. "I'm nowhere near as talented as your master, but I learned a thing or two from her, and I ended up being the closest thing they had to a doctor until one joined them." She set it aside and offered Sakura a warm smile, tipping her head to rest in her hand. "And while it wasn't for long, I had picked up a habit of gathering whatever medicinal plants I would stumble across when I traveled the continent."

Tears stinging at her eyes, Sakura bowed her head to the woman sat across from her. "Thank you, Fumiyo, thank you so much! I'll be able to treat his symptoms a lot better now with all of this." A wide smile stretched across her face as she scrubbed away her tears. "Thank you!"

Fumiyo returned her smile, reaching across to gently squeeze her hand. "Of course, dear," she softly murmured. "I'll help you as much as I can, okay? Don't hesitate to ask."

Sakura nodded, grateful. "Thank you, Fumiyo," she repeated, relieved.

Some of her panic was washed away with the appearance of the unexpected gift. But this only cleared the first of what she was sure was going to be many obstacles when it came to treating Itachi Uchiha.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

 **Retrograde**

 **Chapter Nine**

Itachi skimmed through the visions Sasuke had subjected him to again. He still couldn't fully comprehend what exactly was shown to him. Only one conclusion came to mind, but it was impossible. No matter how real the images his little brother had imprinted in his mind seemed to be, there was no way those were any of his memories. Especially not the later ones depicting another two ninja wars that seemed to occur only a handful of years apart.

Those images troubled him the most and thinking about them didn't improve his situation, nor protect his little brother from their enemies. But the ones of an older Sasuke intrigued him.

The sight of his little brother happy again was something Itachi had long since wished for even if he never anticipated seeing it.

After Sasuke had lifted the genjutsu, Itachi realized that more had been shared with him than he'd thought. More visions had surfaced when he went through them again and they were curious. This older version of his little brother didn't often smile from what he was able to gather, but it was clear that he was happy. Not quite like when he was a child before everything Itachi had done to him, but happier than he had been in recent years. And it all seemed to because of Naruto and Sakura.

Many of the new visions revolved around some combination of the three spending time together, but often it was just Sasuke and Sakura. Itachi let one such vision flood his mind and he found himself standing in one of the hospital's sterile white rooms.

He immediately spotted Sasuke sat on the bed with his back to the door. Before Itachi can get a good look at him, a knock sounds on the door and it slides open a moment later to reveal his brother's pink haired teammate. She circled around the bed to stand in front of Sasuke and stared down at him with a stern expression, hands fisted on her hips.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you, Sasuke, but there are several other capable nurses and doctors in this hospital who could have treated you," she says.

Sasuke merely tips his head back to meet her gaze. "And all of them would have tried pawning me off to the next person," he tells her plainly and it makes Itachi frown as Sakura looks away angrily. "But that's why I specifically asked for you."

Her face turns red at his words and Sakura busies herself with cutting away his ruined shirt. "Well, then you're lucky I didn't have any surgeries scheduled today," she tersely murmurs as she cleans the deep nasty gash on his arm. She becomes absorbed in tending to his wound and Itachi closely watches his brother. There's a soft expression on Sasuke's face as he watches Sakura work that remains until she finishes.

Another blush spreads across her face when she notices and an embarrassed smile curves at her mouth. "What?" she asks when he doesn't say anything.

"Nothing," is all Sasuke says, but he has a small smile of his own.

A sudden knock on the door roused Itachi from his thoughts. He slowly raised his eyes to watch his visitor as she stepped into the interrogation room. She offered him a smile that he didn't return and closed the door with a quiet click as the latch caught. Itachi quickly scanned her, noting that she was wearing another elaborate kimono with the same tags as last time swinging from the sharp senbon holding her red hair in place. The letters for "Trust" caught his eye this time and he dragged his gaze away to watch her pull out a scroll from her sleeve.

"The medic-nin who assessed you immediately after your capture gave this to me," she explained, skipping over any pleasantries. He silently watched as she unsealed the scroll to reveal a steaming pot of tea and a single matching cup. "Hopefully, this will help alleviate your pain some."

The woman poured the tea and its pungent smell made him immediately recoil away. She chuckled, placing the cup in the center of the table. "I had the same reaction. But I've been assured it tastes much better than it smells."

Itachi stared at the cup for a long moment before lifting his gaze to hers, unimpressed. If Konoha's goal was to extract information from him, they should have sent a Yamanaka at the very least. But from what he's understood from the little information he gathered, it sounded like Sasuke's genjutsu prevented anyone from piercing his mind. Which had led to this strange woman being the one to handle him.

"No, thank you," he politely declined.

A smile curled at Lady Fumiyo's mouth and laughter danced in her eyes. "You should know, the medic-nin who made this was also the one kind enough to heal your damaged eyesight," she told him before lifting the cup to her mouth and taking a hearty drink.

His eyes grow wide as he lifts a shaky hand to his face. "He did," he breathed.

" _She_ did," she gently corrected. "Sakura made this tea to help slow the effects of your illness after she noticed it when tending to your failing eyesight."

"Sakura…" he repeated as Lady Fumiyo pressed the hot cup into his frozen hands.

 _Sakura Haruno._

Sasuke's pink haired teammate whom he'd seen in the strange visions he'd watched. The kunoichi he'd witnessed shed tears for his little brother more than once. The medic-nin who had inherited the famed Sannin and current Hokage's impressive medical ninjutsu.

And the girl his little brother seems to have fallen in love with.

"Yes. Now drink," she urged, leaning back in her chair across from him. "I've been told you need to drink everything in this pot, no exception." He nodded, bringing the cup to his mouth. The smell makes his nose wrinkle again, but he ignores it this time and to his surprise, she's right about the taste.

He finished what was left in the cup under her watchful gaze and she immediately poured more. "Why is she helping me?" he asked, "Why are _you_ helping me? As far as either of you are concerned, I'm a criminal of this village that doesn't deserve any of your care or sympathy."

Lady Fumiyo met his gaze, her purple eyes filled with an intensity that made him want to look away. Almost like she knew something he didn't. "Hm. You're a bit more talkative today, aren't you?" she hummed. "Could hardly get two words out of you yesterday."

Itachi frowned at her, but said nothing. After being released from Sasuke's genjutsu, he'd barely had the chance to come to terms with what he'd just seen before being thrown into that situation. Seeing Sasuke standing in front of him and then Lady Fumiyo beside him, it had been jarring. He understood why his little brother didn't expect to be forgiven now, but it had immediately become obvious that he didn't know about the nature of the genjutsu. And when she'd explained what she was doing there after putting that seal on him, he'd already been in too much of a stupor to respond.

Plus, her questions were hardly ones he was going to answer in the first place anyway.

"Maybe we do care about you, Itachi, and that's why we're helping you," she finally answered, carefully folding her hands inside the sleeves of her kimono. "I'll be honest, the Hokage is more interested in what you _know,_ rather than you as a person. So, I'm sorry if it ever sounds like I'm feeding you lies or deceiving you."

He stared at her. "Are you sure you're an interrogator?"

"Oh, I most certainly am," she reassured with a chuckle. "I specialize more in frontline intelligence gathering during war, but I'm still an interrogator."

"Does Sasuke know?"

Her expression turned pinched at his words and she nodded. "He's the one who brought it to my attention."

His hand clenched around the cup. He'd been hoping to take this secret and many others to the grave with him, but that was no longer an option anymore. "And how is he taking it?" Itachi asked, bringing the tea to his mouth in an effort to appear impassive.

"Not very well," she told him. "Though he hides it."

"I'm surprised. For so long he was intent on killing me in order to avenge our clan."

A soft smile pulled at her mouth. "He cares for you dearly…"

Tears sting at his eyes at her words. "You see right through me, don't you?" he accused, glaring at her. "Plying me with kind words and gestures. Using my little brother to break my defenses and gather the information you're looking for."

Lady Fumiyo met his gaze unflinchingly, unafraid of his Sharingan. "At least he's safer than you right now," she told him, purple eyes narrowed and harsh.

He froze. "What does that mean?" he whispered.

"While you've been down here, have you once stopped to wonder why you're being kept in this room?" she questioned, barely giving him the chance to answer. "What about your guards? Did you notice they're Anbu and not regular chūnin? What about the wards on the walls and ceiling?"

Itachi stared at her. She was right about all those things. When she'd left yesterday, he had expected to be moved into a cell, a seal put over his eyes and kept isolated from others. But instead he'd been left in an interrogation room with no observation mirror and extremely powerful fūinjutsu covering every wall that spoke volumes about the strength and skill of the shinobi who put them there. And he had immediately noticed his former fellow Anbu. He'd thought it was because the Hokage considered him a dangerous entity that needed to be handled with extreme caution.

But this meant all these precautions were to keep him safe.

"Why?"

"Because there are eyes watching," she told him. "Waiting in the shadows for their moment to close in on you."

 _Danzō_ , he thought. _He must want to make sure I don't talk._

"And you're trying to keep me from being murdered in my cell," Itachi guessed.

Lady Fumiyo nodded as she refilled his forgotten cup. "Yes. I have reason to believe you're in danger from the one who ordered you to slaughter your clan."

He sucks in a breath he's sure she heard and tries to cover up his shock by drinking more tea. "Why do you think I was ordered to kill the members of my clan?" he asked, glancing up to look at her.

The corner of her mouth curled upward, but her smile wasn't a happy one. "Because that's what one of your former comrades told your brother."

His blood ran cold at her words. No. No, no, no. That couldn't be right. When did Sasuke cross paths with him? Was it just before they met at the Uchiha hideout? Or was it before that, when his back was turned, and he was oblivious? He shook his head. No, that didn't matter. Just the fact that he'd come face to face with him was bad. He could only imagine what secrets he'd told him, what dark machinations that man revealed to him hidden behind the mask he called Tobi.

"What else did he tell Sasuke?"

She shook her head. "Judging by your reaction, I'm sure you can guess, Itachi," she sighed. "Just give me a name."

"No, I cannot do that," he whispered. "I won't endanger Sasuke's life any further…"

Lady Fumiyo heaved a heavy sigh and he silently watched as she sealed away the empty tea pot and the matching cup. "I'm sorry to hear that," she murmured, stowing the scroll away in her sleeve as she stood to leave. "But you should know…"

He glanced up at her. "Know what?"

"Sasuke's in danger either way." Her dark purple eyes were filled with something cold and foreboding as they bored into him. "And the longer you stay down here, the harder it will be for me to keep you safe."

And with that she swept out of the room, leaving him alone again.

* * *

Fumiyo slowly picked her way through the freshly trimmed grass lining the side of the house until the wide backyard came into view. She slowly scanned the organized chaos in front of her and counted more than a dozen of Naruto's shadow clones working in tandem to cut down the waist high grass and remake the stone path that led from the door all the way to the dry meditation pond that took up a good portion of the space beside the storage annex. Three clones stood around its perimeter and simultaneously formed the same set of hand seals, filling the pond with clear water with their jutsu. Further out from them Kazane's loud voice could be heard as she ordered Hinata around. The summoning animal was draped around the girl's shoulders as they walked the edge of the property and replaced the old wards on the trees with new tags.

She briefly closed her eyes and reached out with her chakra. All eighteen individual signatures belonging to Naruto's clones immediately pinged her internal map and she reached out further, increasing the radius. Sasuke's quiet presence in the garden slightly behind her came next. It was stronger than yesterday now, much more on par with the one she'd become accustomed to associating with the young man. Beyond him was Hinata and Kazane and just beyond them were the warding tags, evenly spaced on the trees in a perfect circle that completely surrounded the house and pulsed with power.

A proud smile curved at Fumiyo's mouth as she watched her first student.

"Welcome back."

Fumiyo turned and found Sasuke at her back. She quickly looked him over, noting the fresh soil covering his clothes and the rake in his hand. "I see you've taken over the garden for yourself," she said, glancing over at the greenery behind him. She could actually identify what was what now that it was cut down.

"Hn, I had to," he grunted in annoyance, wiping down his face with the towel draped around his neck. "Naruto still can't tell the difference between a weed and something that's been planted on purpose."

A small laugh bubbled out of her as he rolled his eyes. "Speaking of my nephew — where is Naruto?" she asked. "Still at the hospital, I presume?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah. He left behind a bunch of clones after you left and said he'd be back around noon." He fell silent, hands tightening around the handle of the rake until his knuckles turned white, and she patiently waited for him to speak. "…How did it go with Itachi?" he finally asked.

Fumiyo took in the stubborn set of his jaw and the way he tried hard not to appear too eager to hear her answer. It was obvious that wasn't what he really wanted to ask, but she could read between the lines easily enough. "He was much more talkative today and he seemed to be less surprised about his clear vision," she reported. "And he seemed receptive to the idea of his illness being treated once he realized the medicine was coming from the same person who healed his eyes."

Relief flooded his expression almost immediately. "So, he drank the tea Sakura made?"

"Yes. Every drop," she told him with a gentle smile.

Satisfied, he nodded to himself and his dark eyes turned serious. "Has he told you anything yet?"

She sighed, thinking back to her conversation with his brother. "Itachi's distrustful of me, which is understandable. And he was surprisingly easy to provoke, especially when I talked about you like you asked me to," she began, remembering how easy his face was to read once she started revealing his secrets. "But I think it'll be tough to get him to talk even though I've made it clear his life is in danger. I can already tell he's going to stubbornly cling to the idea that he needs to continue protecting you."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, annoyed. "Tch. I can protect myself," he sneered. "I wish he'd think about himself for once."

A soft smile pulled at Fumiyo's mouth as she dropped a hand on his head and mussed his dark hair. He let out a disgruntled noise and pulled away from her with a glare. "Itachi's your big brother, Sasuke – he can't help it," she murmured, "But don't worry. I'll make sure he realizes it's in his best interest to talk to me and Tsunade. Okay?"

He stares at her for a long moment before nodding sharply.

"Good. I'll be inside if you need me." Fumiyo turned towards the house, but stopped at the last second. "How far along are you toward being able to use your jutsu?"

"I'm almost there," he said. "A few more days and I should be ready."

She nodded thoughtfully before rapidly weaving a set of hand seals. Sasuke let out a low groan and she quickly caught him around the shoulders before he dropped to the ground. "Sorry about that," Fumiyo tersely apologized, pulling down the high collar of his shirt. Her eyes narrowed, and she pressed a probing finger to the skin where his neck and shoulder met. The seal reacts immediately to her chakra, briefly flaring bright gold before settling again. A low hiss escapes from the boy as she does this and she apologizes again, releasing him. "Not to alarm you, kiddo, but you're going to have to hurry up."

Sasuke jumped away from her, rubbing at his neck. "He's trying to get out, isn't he?" he growled.

"Mhm. He tried to brute force his way out just now, you know," she said flatly.

"Great," he drawled out sarcastically, stalking back into the garden.

Fumiyo frowned at his back for a moment before finally turning to go inside and change her clothes. There wasn't much she could do to help him until he could open those space-time portals so they could slip in and out of the village undetected.

A sigh escaped her as she tied a clean apron over her more casual clothes. The containment seal she'd placed on top of Orochimaru's Cursed Seal of Heaven was stronger than the Evil Sealing Method, but the White Snake's presence was strong, and he was getting agitated. There was no doubt she'd be able to keep him inside Sasuke, but tightening the seal every time he threatened to tear it apart would take a toll on the boy.

It was better just to separate Orochimaru from Sasuke as soon as possible.

"What's going on? You've changed, Miyo-tan," a voice said, breaking her from her thoughts.

"Oh? In what way?" Fumiyo asked as she selected a knife in the draw to start preparing the vegetables. "I don't think I've changed that much."

She glanced over her shoulder at the man stood at her back. He looked the same as ever with his long, wild black hair and sharp purple eyes that paired with the two ivory horns protruding from his head, long gruesome fangs, and sharp nails added to his demonic visage. His green kimono is open and sloppily tucked into his hakama, baring his muscled and scarred chest. And there's a furrow between his brows that belies his true age despite his otherwise preserved youthful visage from his untimely death. But it's the weapon propped up on her father's shoulder that gives her pause.

"Why do you have an iron club?" she demanded, slightly alarmed.

Her father blinked owlishly at her in confusion before understanding spread across his face. "Do you like it, Miyo-tan?" he asked with an excited grin as he brought the heavy spiked weapon closer for her to see. "Your brother had it made for me, ya know!"

Exasperation spread through her and Fumiyo resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "It just makes you look like more of an ogre than you already do, Papa," she told him.

Her words brought a pout to her father's face, but he sealed away the club into a scroll with a lazy hand seal. A serious expression spread across the hard planes of his face as he settled his dark eyes on her. Fumiyo deliberately turned away, busying herself with her cooking.

"Fumiyo. What's going on?" he asked, voice soft. "Your mother and I have grown worried. The grief you've carried with you for so many turns of the moon suddenly disappeared without warning." Her father heaved a heavy sigh when she didn't answer. "I have been able to sense the dark shroud surrounding you all the way from the Far Shore. It has long since been a constant whenever I checked on you that when it disappeared – or rather _shrank_ – it surprised me. Please. Just tell me what's going on, Miyo-tan. It's almost like…" He trailed off and without warning spun her around to face him.

The imposing figure of Uzushio's famed Black Reaper stood before her now. Too fast for her to evade, Shirasu took hold of his daughter's hand. His chakra insistently presses against hers for barely a second before he releases her again.

"Four – no, _five_ – other chakra signatures!" Shirasu gasped, wide purple eyes quickly roving over Fumiyo's face in shock. "One undeniably belonging to the Kyūbi. And that lingering sensation of—of being pulled apart…It's unmistakable, Miyo-tan." His expression softened, and he gently gathered her into his arms. "Why?" he whispered, "You swore never again after last time."

She wrapped her arms around his waist and let him hug her. "Because I'm selfish, Papa. Very, very selfish." Fumiyo pulled away and turned back to chopping her vegetables. "I learned that Lord Third lied to me. He told me the Nine-Tailed Fox had been released back to the land when Kushina died. But it had just been sealed into her son by Minato."

"Her son? But I thought…"

"Mhm. Another lie," she murmured, dropping the veggies into the waiting pan. "We were fighting a rapidly losing war a handful of years from now. The Sixth Hokage asked me to produce a fūinjutsu to prevent it and I agreed for a completely selfish reason."

"Does Kushina-tan's son know what you did in the Hidden Eddy?" he asked, shifting closer so he could see her face.

She nodded readily. "He and his bride both know my shame. My greatest moment of weakness. And the selfish desire that led to my agreeing to make the seal. They know all the secrets I was too afraid to tell Kushina and Minato."

Shirasu dropped a comforting hand on his daughter's shoulder. "I'd hardly call wishing to reclaim some of the time you lost with the boy selfish, Fumiyo," he softly murmured. "And it's not as if that's the only reason why you produced the jutsu."

A sob tore its way from her throat as tears stung at her eyes. "What if it ends in failure like last time?"

"Then so be it," he told her, hand tightening around her shoulder. "What's done is done."

She threw him an incredulous look. He knew what a disaster her previous attempt at time traveling had been. So how… "How can you say that so easily?"

"You forget, child. When your mother sent you off to Lady Mito with my mask, I swore to support you. Always. Even if I don't agree. For what else can I do?" A gruesome smile spread across his face and his eyes glowed an unnatural shade of purple as the tips of his horns flickered to life with chakra. "I _am_ dead after all."

Before she can respond, the front door burst opened and a blur of orange and yellow came running in. "Hi, Auntie!" Naruto called out to her as three clones also carrying boxes followed him in. He paused at the bottom of the stairs and frowned at her, barely batting an eye at Shirasu's appearance except to send him a friendly grin. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

A soft smile curved at her mouth and Fumiyo shook her head. "I'm okay, kiddo," she reassured, "Your great-grandfather and I were just talking, Naruto."

Naruto frowned again, but nodded, readjusting his grip on the boxes in his arms as his clones rushed back out. "If you're sure," he said, not completely convinced. "I'm just going to finish moving my stuff upstairs."

At her answering nod, he took his things upstairs and left again.

"He really does know about us, huh?"

"Yes," she agreed. "The others do as well to varying degrees."

He hummed softly, eying his daughter thoughtfully. "The owners of the three other chakra signatures, I presume. I'd like to meet them," he decided.

Fumiyo quietly agreed and at her nod her father returned to the Far Shore. She returned to cooking and by the time Sakura arrives from the hospital, the sharp scent of antiseptic clinging to her clothes, lunch was ready. The five of them sat around the table together for the first time in what seemed like a lifetime to share the simple but filling meal Fumiyo made. It was a much noisier affair than she'd grown accustomed to, but it brought warmth to her chest to see them all so talkative and lively without the heavy shadow of war hanging over them.

After they've finished, and they've moved into the sun room, Fumiyo wordlessly reaches into her weapons pouch to take out one of the two carved wooden oni masks she always kept on her person. The mask, like all the others kept in the storage temple, bore a striking resemblance to the great Shinigami with its long red horns protruding from the forehead and the white mouthful of gruesome fangs that contrasted sharply against its black face. Her mother had carved and painted it for her father when he had married into the Uzumaki clan as a wedding gift, but Fumiyo was certain she'd never once imagined she'd use it the way she had after he died.

Fumiyo lifted her eyes from the mask to look at the kids. "My father wishes to meet you all," she told them. "He's curious."

A wide grin immediately spread across Naruto's face as he excitedly leaned forward across the tatami mats. "Can I summon him?" he asked. "I bet that'll impress Old Man Shira!"

Sasuke frowned at her and crossed his arms. "Why though? For what reason? It's not like Sakura and I are related to you."

Fumiyo sighed and handed Naruto the mask. "He could sense all of your residual chakra signatures lingering on mine from the jutsu," she told him. Her gaze slid away from the Uchiha to land on her precious nephew. "All of them," she stressed, shooting him a pointed look at his abdomen.

His eyes went wide, and a hand flew up to land on his stomach. "Really? And what'd he say about Kurama? Was he surprised?"

"Summon him and ask, kiddo," she said, gently patting his hand. "Though, considering the last time you met him, I'd say he wasn't."

Naruto finally puts on the mask and she watched as he rapidly made the appropriate hand seals before clapping his hands together. After a few seconds her father appears at the boy's shoulders as a barely visible cloud of chakra before solidifying, confusion clear on his tan face. He immediately scanned the faces in the room before settling on Naruto. A wide grin split across his face and he dropped down onto the tatami mat to kneel in front of him.

"So, you're Kushina-tan's son, huh? I see Miyo-tan taught you how to summon me," he said, leaning forward to peer at his face until they were almost touching. Fumiyo resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his blatant attempt to scare him. "Do you know who I am?"

Her nephew nodded excitedly with an identical grin of his own. "Of course, I do, old man! You're Shirasu—my mom's grandpa!"

"That's right, kiddo!" her father praised excitedly. He tapped a clawed finger against Naruto's cheek. "It's been so long since I last saw this smile. It's the same as your mother's, ya know." Shirasu took his face into his hands and his smile turned soft. "Nine-Tails jinchūriki like your mother, huh? An honor among the Uzumaki to be sure, but it must have been difficult when you were a boy."

"Yeah, it was," Naruto quietly admits and Fumiyo has to look away to hide the tears stinging her eyes. "But not so much anymore. I have my friends, my sensei, my master, my wife, and now I have Aunt Fumiyo too."

Shirasu's smile widened. "And I'm glad Fumiyo has you now as well, Naruto. Especially now that you gained more time together from what she's told me..." His gaze turned to the others sat beside Naruto and Fumiyo and his sharp purple eyes swept over them with curiosity. "And it seems a Hyūga, an Uchiha, and a student of Tsunade-chan's judging by her depleted Reserve Seal came along with you." A laugh suddenly bubbled out of him and everyone jumped. "Hah ha! None of you are afraid of me!" he laughed excitedly. "So, it really is true—you do know! Even my master was terrified when his daughter first presented me to him after I died, ya know!"

"Grandfather wouldn't stop screaming," Fumiyo remembered vividly. She had been just a little girl at the time, huddled behind her mother's legs clinging tightly to her elder brother's hand. Never had she ever seen him have such a visceral reaction to something. "Not even when he drew his sword and tried attacking you. He was convinced Mother had made some sort of unholy pact with the Death God that allowed him to possess your body."

Hinata offered Shirasu a warm smile from beside Naruto. "Well, the first time we met, we were a little...unsettled by you," she admitted even as Naruto tried to deny it. "But in the end, we realized there wasn't anything for us to fear from you."

"Especially since you like to spend your time lazing about drinking sake," Sakura huffed with a roll of her eyes.

"And cracking stupid jokes no one but you understand," Sasuke added with an annoyed scowl.

Shirasu shrugged without an ounce of remorse. "I'm dead," he said, flashing them one of his gruesome smiles. "What else is there for me to do except to drink and annoy the living?" His expression softened as he dropped his head to rest in the palm of his hand to look at Naruto and Fumiyo observed as her great-nephew straightened his posture under his attention. "Now, Naruto, properly introduce me to your friends. Once I told everyone back on the Far Shore about your existence, the whole clan's worried if you're eating properly, got a warm place to sleep, and if you've made any friends," Shirasu ticked off one by one on a clawed hand. "Since you're with Miyo-tan, the first two we don't need to worry about. But the last one's extremely important. If I return home with nothing to report, your grandmother will have my head."

A wide grin immediately spread across Naruto's face. "Sure!" He slung his arms around Sasuke and Sakura, pulling them in close even as they protested. "This is Sasuke," he said, nearly choking the both of them in his exuberance, "and this is Sakura. Together we make up Konoha's legendary Team 7! They're my closest friends, you know." Naruto released them and moved to kneel beside Hinata next, his smile soft now. "And this is Hinata, my wife," he told him as he took her hand in his. "She's always had faith in me. Even when I didn't believe in myself."

"It's nice to see you again, Lord Shirasu," Hinata murmured softly.

A short laugh filled with mirth bubbled out of him. " _Lord_ ," he repeated with a chuckle. "Only the old Uzumaki elders call me that. Just call me Shira."

Fumiyo met her father's gaze. "Well, Papa?" she asked. She knew he wanted to take measure of the kids, Naruto especially. A part of her had expected him to try sparring with them, but she knew him well and her father was searching for something else. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

After a long moment her father nodded. "Yes, I did," he said at last, purple eyes meeting hers, "and it's time for me to return now." He stood to his full height and smiled down at all of them. "But before I go, there's one thing I want you to do for me…Outlive my daughter, yeah?" A shadow came down over his purple eyes and his next words are nothing more than a soft whisper. "Too many of her loved ones have died before her already, so that's all I ask…"

And before anyone can respond, Shirasu disappears back to the Far Shore with a small smile aimed at the kids.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

 **Retrograde**

 **Chapter Ten**

 _ **Lady Mito Uzumaki, many years before Naruto was born**_

Mito silently appraised her niece sat across the tatami from her. She was in perfect seiza even though they were alone and her expression was unreadable. It made Mito frown, but she supposed it couldn't be helped.

"Mikoto. There is still time for another to be chosen," she softly murmured. "It doesn't have to be your daughter."

Mikoto shook her head. "No, it must be Fumiyo, Aunt Mito," she firmly said. "We've searched among the entire clan and she is the only one other than Great-Grandfather who possesses chakra with the closest compatibility for sealing the Nine Tails. It must be her."

A sigh escaped her, and Mito carefully folded her hands in her lap. Yes, it was important to find someone to take her place and become the next vessel to the Kyūbi, but that was years away. Many, many years away. There was no need to start searching quite so early.

"It's only been a year since Shirasu died protecting you and the children. Don't you want her to spend a little more time by your side? Fumiyo is still training to become a genin in the Eddy," she gently reminded her. Fumiyo was about her granddaughter Tsunade's age and she had only entered Tobirama's ninja academy less than a year ago, so the same could be said about her niece's daughter. Surely Mikoto could wait until she at least finished her basic schooling. "There's still time."

Again, she shook her head. "Ever since I was made both clan head and village leader, Father and the other elders saw fit to inform me of the situation with the Mist. We weren't randomly attacked by the whirlpools that morning, Aunt Mito," she told her with barely contained rage. "They targeted Shira since he was the famed Black Reaper loyal to the Uzumaki who cut down and slaughtered many of their men. The Mist distrusts us and our sealing techniques, so they killed him in order to deal a heavy blow to our forces." Her dark eyes flashed as she grits her teeth angrily, a look of pure hatred taking over her expression. "I want nothing more for Jin and Fumiyo to always be by my side, but that's not possible. Not with the Mist threatening us now that both Uncle Hashirama and Tobirama-sama are gone." Mikoto met her gaze and there's nothing but despair in her eyes now. "I love them both so much and I wouldn't survive if something were to happen to them too."

Her niece's pain suddenly washes over her through the Kyūbi's chakra, and it brings tears to her eyes. She didn't know this had been the full extent of her pain and considering how deeply it attacks her Mikoto must have been living this way ever since Shirasu's passing. "Mikoto, that's all the more reason for her to stay with you at least a little longer," she said softly. "You have the entirety of the Hidden Eddy, including my sorry excuse of a nephew, supporting you."

"Elder brother Haru meant no harm, Aunt Mito."

She clicked her tongue in irritation. "Haruka spent the first six months of your reign as Uzukage making assassination attempts on you and your children," she reminded her. Her brother's foolish son had made several failed attempts on their lives with a variety of methods. The only thing she could commend the boy for was his creativity. "I cannot believe you continue to let him live."

Mikoto sighed tiredly. "Please. Not this again. Haru was only lashing out because I was chosen as clan head over him and the other candidates. It wasn't my intention for that to happen when I sealed Shira. He understands that now," she tried to defend him.

"Mhm," she hummed skeptically. "Ensure that he remains loyal, Mikoto. You may trust him with Jin and Fumiyo for now, but there may come a day where he decides to betray you."

"He won't. Haru knows I'll show him no mercy should anything happen to my children." A dark shadow came down over her face as she said this, abating some of her fears.

She nodded sharply, pleased. "Good."

"But if you distrust him so much, Aunt Mito," Mikoto begun with a sly expression, "then that's all the more reason for you to take in Fumiyo."

Mito's mouth thinned and she shook her head. "Persistent, I see," she murmured tersely. "How about we make a compromise, Mikoto? I will take your daughter as my apprentice once she masters the basics of our sealing style and train her until she is capable of subduing the Nine Tails."

Her niece frowned as her brow furrowed in confusion. "Subdue the Nine Tails," she repeated. "Do you intend for her to be some sort of failsafe should it escape? Why? If it could break free from your seal, it would have already done so."

"True, but with Hashirama gone there is no one capable of stopping the beast should something happen," Mito calmly explained. The passing of her husband had keenly made her aware that there was no longer a sealing master strong enough to stop the Kyūbi should the beast escape. If it somehow broke free from her grasp, she wouldn't be able to stop it in such a weakened state. It was a frightening thought that had often kept her awake late into the night. "No one in the Hidden Leaf at least."

For the first time since their meeting had begun, Mikoto relaxed her posture as she worriedly chewed at her lip. Her dark eyes flicked up to meet hers. "Is there really no one?" she whispered.

Mito shook her head. "No, Mikoto. So, if you're really intent on sending your youngest away, I'd rather train her to protect the Nine Tails jinchūriki instead of becoming one." She softened her voice and gently took her hand in her own and squeezed. "At least think about it, child."

Before she can respond, there was a knock on the door. "We're coming in," someone called out before it slid open to reveal three people on the other side.

"Mama!" The two children ran immediately to their mother, completely forgetting about their uncle.

"Uncle Haru took me and Jin-niisan out into the woods and showed us how to pick flowers to make sealing inks," the little girl excitedly told her. "Look!" She held up a small bunch of deep violet flowers held together with twine for her to see.

A smile overtook Mikoto's face as she gathered her children in her arms. "Oh! They're so pretty, Fumiyo-chan," she cooed. "Perfect for mixing into the ink. Good work you two."

"Can we show Papa?" the older boy quietly asked.

"Of course, we can, Jin-kun!" Mikoto readily agreed with an excited grin of her own. She scooped them both up into her arms before sweeping out of the room without sparing a backwards glance.

A sigh escaped Mito and she slowly felt whatever bad mood she had been keeping contained threaten to burst free as her nephew occupied the space in front of her. Haruka neatly folded his legs beneath him as he sat on the cushion and offered her a hesitant smile that quickly faded under her withering glare. He looked away, busying himself with pouring a cup of lukewarm tea from the forgotten tray beside them.

"You should have been executed," she hissed in a low voice. "It is only by your sister's grace and love that you continue to live."

Haruka nodded as he replaced his cup back on the tray. "And I'm grateful for Mikoto's mercy," he told her with a hard look. "But I also know that if I make a single misstep, she won't hesitate to cut my head clean from my shoulders – beloved brother or not. It's why she's left Jin and Fumiyo in my care despite the protests."

Mito considered her nephew in front of her, silently wondering why he decided to speak with her now. All throughout their visit Haruka had pointedly avoided making eye contact with her, escaping from the room at the first opportunity that presented itself. What could he possibly want to discuss with her that made him ignore the instinct to flee?

A faint idea came to mind and her eyes narrowed.

"Were you eavesdropping on us?"

"Only the bit at the end," he admitted without remorse. Haruka ran a hand through his red hair, briefly revealing the seals tattooed on the skin of his arm as his sleeve fell. "I think you were holding back with Mikoto. There's something you're neglecting to tell her."

"Oh? And what would that be?" she murmured.

Haruka leaned forward and spoke softly so his voice didn't carry. "I think there's something else you fear now that Uncle and Tobirama-sama are gone, Auntie," he told her, sharp brown eyes shrewdly watching her. "Something that instills distrust in your heart toward the new Hokage's administration. Perhaps it's not the Hokage himself, but rather one of his advisors considering how stiff you were at dinner last night. And only you can sense it with that unique power of yours to see the darkness in others' hearts."

A reluctant smile pulled at her mouth. "Very perceptive. I see why you were a candidate for clan head."

"Thank you," he said with a bitter smile. "But I'm sure Mikoto noticed something was awry as well, Auntie – even with her attention split as it is."

"Tell me your thoughts, Haruka."

He nodded, taking a moment to drink his cooling tea. "You're looking to train a bodyguard for the Leaf's Nine Tails jinchūriki. Someone who can protect the village from the beast and the host from the village if I'm interpreting everything correctly."

Mito quietly considered her nephew. He may have made a disgrace of himself in front of their entire clan, but there was no denying he was a fine shinobi. It was a shame he had lashed out the way he had and lost the trust and respect he had earned. "If you were in your sister's place, would you agree?"

"I don't know, Auntie," Haruka told her honestly. "Mikoto and I are different. I haven't lost anyone as important to me as Shirasu is to her, and nor do I have any children of my own." He paused as Jin and Fumiyo's laughter filtered in from outside. They listened for a moment as the children played in the garden and Mito only had to wait a few seconds for both of their parents' voices to join theirs. Haruka met her gaze again, dark eyes solemn. "But I know my sister. All she's done is look to the future. Of the clan, the village, her family. She personally administered the chakra test to search for your successor. And when Fumiyo-chan was the only one to pass, she cried all through the night. All she wanted was to ensure there would be someone ready to take your place if it comes to war with the Mist. But she also knows that her attention is split unevenly between her duties and her children. That's really why she's been so intent on your agreement."

Mito sighed, tightly clasping her hands in her lap. "And she wants to protect at least one of her children so she can better focus on the Mist…"

"Yes," he nodded, taking another drink of his tea, "And that's why she's leaving Jin completely in my care now that he's a genin."

"Mikoto is trying to ensure her children – the most precious people in her life – are taken care of so she can fully devote herself as the Eddy's village leader," she realized.

"She would never recover if something happened to them," he told her as he took a half-hearted bite of the forgotten daifuku before letting a confident smile stretch across his face. "But even though it may seem like she's controlled by her emotions, she's extremely levelheaded despite all appearances. Taking all of this into account, I ultimately think she'll agree to your proposal, Auntie."

* * *

The door burst open without warning and closed just as fast before a red blur came running into the room.

"Auntie! Can you look at this seal for me? I can't seem to get this section right."

An apologetic smile tugged at Mito's mouth as Fumiyo came to a stop at her elbow. "Forgive her, Hiruzen," she murmured tersely, gently taking hold of her great-niece's hand and squeezing tightly. "She's very… _enthusiastic_ when it comes to her seal work."

The fifteen-year-old girl froze, her face flushed red in embarrassment, and slowly raised her eyes from the scroll in her hands. She met Lord Third's gaze and gasped. "I'm so sorry for interrupting, Lord Hokage!" she exclaimed, purple eyes wide with shock and remorse. "I just got so frustrated on this new seal I'm working on and forgot."

Hiruzen chuckled, dark eyes crinkling with laughter as he appraised the chūnin. "It's quite alright, Fumiyo-chan," he reassured her. "Lady Mito and I were just about finished speaking anyway. I see you've already recovered. Quite quickly might I add."

Fumiyo nodded readily with a smile. "Yep! Thanks to our Uzumaki blood I'm all better now!" Her expression dimmed, and Mito's hand reflexively tightened around hers again. "...But I can't say the same about the others."

"But they're all alive and recovering – thanks to you," the Hokage murmured softly. He reached out and gently patted her arm comfortingly. "I'm grateful that you happened upon Jiraiya and the others when you did, otherwise they wouldn't be. You should be as well, Fumiyo-chan – after all, you saved the lives of four of your fellow shinobi."

At her nod of agreement, Hiruzen smiled, pleased. He rose from his seat and bowed respectfully to Lady Senju. "Thank you for taking the time to speak with me, Lady Mito. As always, your guidance is immeasurable."

"Of course, Hiruzen," Mito said with a warm smile. "You're welcome to come to me whenever you require assistance." He bowed again and she and Fumiyo watched in silence as he left escorted by her maid. Once he was gone, Mito turned to look at her great-niece. "Was Lord Shimura waiting for him outside?"

She frowned at her odd question and shook her head. "I don't know, Auntie," she answered, removing the brushes and ink from the desk behind them. "I came in through the garden like I always do. But now that I think about it, I think I did sense somebody near the front gate. Why do you ask?"

Mito's mouth thinned at her words. It must have been Danzō waiting for Hiruzen then. No one else in the village harbored the same negative feelings that clung to the man like an oppressive cloud. She disliked his extremist views on protecting the village and it was reason enough to keep him away from her young student.

"No reason, child. Forget I said anything," she quickly dismissed. "Now, show me this seal of yours. What seems to be the problem?"

Fumiyo deposited the items in her hands on the table and sat on the cushion beside her before opening her scroll with a practiced flick of the wrist. "This grouping here," she said, pointing to a specific section of the incomplete seal. "I keep reworking it, but I can't seem to get it right."

"You haven't come to me with something like this in a long time," Mito noted as she brought the scroll closer. "You usually have no problems creating new seals…" She trailed off as she recognized some of the script already integrated around what was clearly the base of their clan's sealing style at the center. "This is a sealing barrier. Where did you get this, Fumiyo?"

Her great-niece jumped at the sudden sharpness in her voice, nearly knocking over the ink in front of them. She quickly recovered and met her dark gaze head on. "From Grandfather, Aunt Mito," Fumiyo told her. "I showed him the set of cursed seals you had me remake without the dangerous sections. And he gave it to me after I proved I was able to produce the Adamantine Sealing Chains. Why?"

Mito frowned at the seal, unsurprised by her brother's behavior. "Jōichirō gave it to you. Of course, he did," she sighed. "This is one of our clan's forbidden sealing jutsu. Forbidden because unlike other barriers it will eventually draw on the user's life force in order to be maintained after draining them of their chakra even after they have fallen unconscious." She met Fumiyo's horrified eyes and gently pat her hand in reassurance. "Don't worry, child. Your grandfather wouldn't have given it to you if he didn't think you could handle it."

"He only told me it was an impenetrable barrier!" she exclaimed, "Stronger than one formed using chakra chains. I knew there was something wrong when I started working on it!"

"Yes," Mito agreed, "that's all true." She pointed to the unfinished section she was having trouble with. "But you seem to be on the right path rearranging it so that it will only draw on stored chakra. It would have to be a considerable amount kept separate from your own so that it could be maintained for any length of time, though." Her expression turned severe and Fumiyo's spine straightened reflexively. "But only use it as a last resort, Fumiyo. Understand?"

She nodded vigorously. "Yes, Auntie, I understand. Don't be unnecessarily reckless, got it."

"Mhm."

"I won't, promise!"

"Then tell me again what happened when you returned from the Hidden Eddy."

Fumiyo sighed, pulling on a loose thread hanging from the sleeve of her haori. "Must I, Aunt Mito? I already told you when you and Tsuna came to see me at the hospital." Her great-aunt merely sent her a pointed glare and she sighed again, scooping up a brush and dipping it in the ink. "When I was on my way back to the village, I sensed Jiraiya's chakra and could tell that he was hurt along with the others who were with him," she reluctantly began.

Mito resisted the urge to roll her eyes and sigh heavily. "Yes, yes, I know this part. You sensed them, went running to help, and engaged with the enemy before making the decision to take on all of them alone to save the others," she quickly recounted. "The part I don't quite understand is why they were muttering about yokai and demons in their half-conscious states."

She watched as Fumiyo determinedly stared down at the scroll in an effort to avoid her gaze. "I don't know what you're talking about, Auntie," she firmly denied with a flourish of her brush. "That sounds like complete and utter nonsense."

"Just tell her, Miyo-tan," a new voice said.

Fumiyo let out a yelp, hand flying to her chest and almost splattering black ink all over her clothes. She whipped around to glare at the newcomer. Two pairs of identical violet eyes met with neither willing to back down and she shook her head at him. "I hate when you do that, Papa! I wish you'd give some kind of warning before just popping up like that!"

"You've become quite strong, Shirasu. Able to summon yourself from the Far Shore by your own will, I see," Mito observed as she looked over the wild haired man.

Despite the many accomplishments marked in his ninja file and the proud way he held himself befitting the spouse of a shinobi clan head, seeing Shirasu's long unruly black hair and constantly open kimono tucked into his hakama that bared his chest for all to see reminded her of the poor opinion she had once held of her niece's choice in husband. But seeing him standing beside Fumiyo now with those horns and fangs that caused him to bear the visage of the great Shinigami reminded Mito of the sacrifice he'd made that allowed her the honor of teaching the girl.

"Hello, Lady Mito," Shirasu greeted. He flashed her a wide grin as he dropped a clawed hand on his daughter's head, silencing her. "Forgive the girl, would you? She just didn't want to anger and disappoint you."

"That depends on what she has to say," Mito decided.

Fumiyo removed her father's clawed hand from her head and clung to it like she had as a little girl. His chakra seeped into her skin, washing over her like a warm blanket and calming her nerves. She met Mito's expectant gaze. "I summoned Papa using the mask and he cut them down," she finally admitted.

"Tell her the other thing, Miyo-tan," her father gently urged.

She nodded reluctantly. "When the summoning was about to expire…You know how Papa's basically just a mass of chakra? Well, we kinda connected our chakras until he was a like a cloak over mine." Mito's eyes narrowed and she glanced between the spirit and the girl. "So, I fought with Papa's strength added to mine, you know."

Mito's mouth thinned to a line. "I see. The chakra transfer technique," she said. "Now I see why you were so hesitant to tell me the truth, Fumiyo. You were reckless after all." She raised a hand to stave off her outburst. "But I'm impressed. Was that the first time?"

Relief flooded the girl's expression and Fumiyo relaxed back into her chair. "No. Mother and Grandfather both said they noticed my chakra seems to fully resonate with Papa's now since he's almost always by my side. We practiced a few times during my visit after Mother suggested trying the technique. Papa helped me improve my swordsmanship even more this way."

"I see." Mito nodded thoughtfully to herself. If Fumiyo and Shirasu could fully master the technique, then perhaps the girl's kenjutsu would improve. He was after all one of the best swordsmen produced by the clan in years. Her swordsmanship needed improvement and Mito had little to teach the girl in the art of the blade. Taijutsu, fūinjutsu, ninjutsu and interpersonal relations between shinobi were more within her purview when it came to her training. Mito's own skill with a sword was lacking and Fumiyo required a more tactile approach when learning something new. "Then it seems you have found a way to fix the mistakes in your kenjutsu."

A wide grin spread across Shirasu's face. "Added to the training I've already given her, Miyo-tan should surpass me in no time," he proclaimed proudly as he wrapped his daughter in a hug. "Maybe she'll hold the title of Black Reaper next."

"Or perhaps she will earn a name of her own one day," Mito mused before turning her gaze onto her pupil. "But, Fumiyo, be more careful. Should anyone learn about the nature of your father's mask, there are those who will try to steal it so that they may command the power of the Black Reaper and use him as a weapon."

Fumiyo's fingers tightened around the brush in her hand and she nodded readily. "I won't let anyone take Papa away," she vowed in a low voice. "Just like I won't let anything happen to you or your successor, Aunt Mito. Neither of you are weapons." There was a spark of fire in her eyes as she said this, and it left little doubt in Mito's heart that the girl would ever waver from the path she set her on.

"Good," Mito said after a moment. "But do refrain from any more acts of recklessness in the future, child." Fumiyo silently nodded, already fully absorbed in the seal in front of her. Mito watched her work for a moment before turning her attention to Shirasu. "With all the chaos, Fumiyo hasn't told me much about your visit to the Eddy yet. Is all well with Mikoto and the others?"

A wide grin spread across his face. "Yep! My little granddaughter's growing so fast, ya know!" he excitedly told her. "She can walk now and everything. And talk, too! Kushina-tan said her first word while we were there, and it reminded me so much of when Jin and Miyo were small." Shirasu paused for a moment and Mito watched as the excitement in his eyes dimmed. A bittersweet smile pulled at his mouth and he stroked a gentle hand through his daughter's long hair. "It feels like it was yesterday they were just big enough to hold in my arms and now look. Jin's already married with a child of his own and Fumiyo's becoming a great sealing master like her mother… Has it really only been nineteen years since Mikoto and I married and we had Jin?" He trails off with a quiet exhale and Mito politely looks away when she spots the tears.

"Mother and Uncle Haru told me that the Eddy has reached a tentative armistice with the Mist and their allies," Fumiyo said, breaking the silence. "They don't know how long it'll last, so Mother's looking far into the future again." She glanced up from the scroll to meet Mito's gaze. "…I held Kushina and sensed that her chakra is similar to ours, Aunt Mito. I think you can imagine what Mother wishes for."

Yes, she could imagine what Mikoto wanted. It was the same as she initially desired for Fumiyo before she and Haruka dissuaded her. But the last decade of searching for another compatible for the sealing had ended in failure. There were only two among the clan who could possibly withstand the process, but the stress of containing the beast would drastically decrease their lifespan unlike her or Fumiyo. Finding a true successor was imperative for that reason alone considering how volatile the Kyūbi's chakra was.

Her mouth thinned to a line and she held back a sigh. "What does your brother have to say?" she asked. "I'm sure he feels strongly about this."

"Jin-niisan and Uka threatened to take Kushina and disappear if Mother tried to immediately send her here," Fumiyo readily informed her. "But Grandfather and Uncle Haru were able to convince her to wait until she was old enough to enter the academy."

Relief immediately flooded Mito and she nodded. "Good. It took months for me to convince her to let me train you," she remembered. "At least no one can say Mikoto isn't doing everything she possibly can to protect the Eddy as Uzukage."

"Just like I'll do everything to protect you and later Kushina when the time comes," Fumiyo promised with a sharp grin and a crack of her knuckles. "And I'll be the best aunt in the world to her just like you, Aunt Mito."

* * *

Mito observed with a critical eye from the tree line of the training ground as Fumiyo sparred against Tsunade and Jiraiya.

The tides of a second shinobi war were slowly creeping its way towards Konohagakure and the surrounding nations. The short period of peace Hashirama had brokered between the Five Great Nations was rapidly coming to a close. It had lasted much longer than Mito had anticipated, but now it meant that the current generation of Konoha shinobi was going to be deployed to the battlefield.

Thankfully, her young student had quickly risen to the rank of jōnin and under Mito's careful instruction Fumiyo had become a skilled interrogator. When the time came, she was sure the girl would be well prepared when she was sent on the frontlines.

Droplets of water splashing against her face brought Mito out of her thoughts and she watched as Fumiyo released a water jutsu aimed at Jiraiya. It quickly overpowers his Fire Release but Tsunade uses her momentary distraction to leap up into the air and come crashing down where she stood. But Fumiyo jumped back and quickly tossed a rigged kunai. Tsunade crashed down where she previously stood with a yell, adding another crater in the ground with her leg just as an explosion triggered by the paper bomb went off. The combination of the two stirred up a thick cloud of dirt and debris that obscured their vision.

Tsunade and Jiraiya immediately moved to stand back to back. "Where'd she go?" Tsunade demanded as she searched for Fumiyo.

"I don't know," Jiraiya answered as he raised a kunai defensively in front of him. They fell silent as the cloud slowly dispersed before he suddenly let out a shout. "Get down!" A volley of shuriken flew at them from the trees and he shoved her out of the way.

Fumiyo leapt down from her hiding place in the leaves, her long black robe billowing behind her as she attacked. "Wind Style: Immense Breakthrough!" Her jutsu knocked back Jiraiya and stirred dirt back into the air, but she kept going, sending a rapid volley of shuriken at him.

But Tsunade immediately intercepts, quickly deflecting all of them away with her kunai. "What, are you afraid, cousin?" she taunted as she dropped into a defensive crouch in front of Jiraiya. "All day you've been only using long range attacks."

"Of course not, Tsuna," Fumiyo reassured with a playful laugh. She pulled back her arm and a kunai of her own filled her hand. A grin stretched across her face and she dropped into a fighting stance. "I'm just well aware how much your punches can hurt." And without any warning, she shot forward.

The two young women fought with equal fervor, filling the training ground with the sound of metal scraping on metal until Jiraiya recovers. "Tsunade!" He quickly weaved two hand seals as she leapt out of the way. "Earth Style: Dark Swamp!" The ground turned to mud where Fumiyo stood in an attempt to prevent her from using her Wind Release, but it fails to capture her. A log immediately took her place and unceremoniously fell into the mud with a wet sticky sound.

"Damn!" Jiraiya swore. "Where'd she go now?"

"Right here!" Fumiyo materialized behind him, swiftly sending him clear across the training ground with a series of midair kicks. She lands back on the ground and immediately strikes at Tsunade barehanded. They trade blows and it's clear to see that Tsunade easily overpowers her in terms of strength. But this doesn't stop Fumiyo. Instead, she uses speed to dodge her kicks and punches, quickly weaving in and out to land her own strikes whenever she found an opening.

Mito closely watches their spar, focusing on every time Fumiyo was able to land a clear hit on Tsunade. A pleased smile spreads across her face when she sees the familiar strings of script quickly spreading across her granddaughter's body. _She's finally done it._

"Impressive," a familiar voice noted.

She glanced at the dark-haired young man standing beside her. "I agree," she hummed, turning back in time to see Tsunade drop to her knees as Fumiyo's fūinjutsu completely immobilized her.

"Not once did I see her weave any signs," Orochimaru observed through narrowed eyes. "The only hand seals I saw her make were for her elemental jutsu. But regardless, they should have realized Fumiyo was preparing some kind of sealing jutsu."

"If you were in their place, would you have noticed, Orochimaru?" she asked curiously.

He fell silent and his golden eyes narrowed as he watched Fumiyo engage Jiraiya next. "I would like to think so," he finally said. "Like Tsunade noted, she had only been using mid to long range attacks; consistently remaining out of their reach for most of the fight. And Fumiyo is already acknowledged as a sealing master. It's hardly a stretch to imagine her being able to incorporate fūinjutsu into her taijutsu."

Mito hummed at his observation. Fumiyo had completely mastered all aspects of their clan's sealing techniques and fūinjutsu in general over the past decade. Now she was able to take apart and reassemble jutsu on her own without turning to Mito for help anymore and crafting new jutsu to suit her needs was second-nature. She had even created the new technique she used for interrogation after taking a mere glance at a set of cursed seals during one of her visits to Uzushio. And with her high Uzumaki chakra reserves combined with fine chakra control it would be hard for anyone in Konoha to rival her. Even with Jiraiya's own impressive fūinjutsu talents he wouldn't be able to compete against Fumiyo.

"She probably had her jutsu already prepared and stored away before she'd even stepped onto these grounds," Orochimaru mused as he watched Jiraiya cautiously attack Fumiyo. "Is her fighting style common among your clan?"

"Very common," Mito told him. "Though it usually takes many years of training to reach the level she has. Even I struggled to produce seals of the same high quality when I was her age." Orochimaru hummed but said nothing, eyes narrowed as he closely observed the spar in front of them. He seemed interested, almost itching to join them. "Did you want to join? Perhaps make it a more even fight against Tsunade and Jiraiya."

Orochimaru shook his head with a faint smile. "No, I'm afraid that wouldn't work. Fumiyo and I don't quite get along, Lady Mito." He paused for a moment to find the right words to properly explain. "Hm… how can I put it? We don't exactly share the same philosophy when it comes to certain topics and thus makes it difficult for us to effectively work together."

Mito doesn't respond as her attention shifts to focus on the familiar chakra signature slowly making its way toward them. A wave of anger and frustration accompanies it and she discretely peeked over her shoulder. Fortunately, she doesn't have to look far to find the source.

The young girl came to a stop beside her, round face obscured by long red hair as she stared resolutely at the ground. "Hi, Lady Mito," she said.

"Hello, Kushina-chan." A frown pulled her mouth down as she took in the girl's appearance. Mito hooked a finger underneath her chin and tipped Kushina's head back so she could look her in the eye. "Are you okay?" she softly murmured.

Kushina looked away with a huff and a stubborn twist of her mouth that reminded her of Fumiyo. "I'm fine," she mumbled.

Mito raised a delicate brow. "Oh?" She took her hands in one of her own and brushed back her messy hair with the other. "Then why are your knuckles freshly bruised and your hair damaged?"

Her face flushed red in embarrassment and she jerked away from Mito, quickly hiding her hands behind her back. "Nothing happened! I swear!"

"I think something did," Orochimaru disagreed from behind them. "Fumiyo, it looks like your niece has gotten into another fight," he called out.

Fumiyo reacted immediately and violently flipped Jiraiya over her shoulder with a growl, hand flying up to form a half seal as she sprinted across the field. She shouted "Release!" and freed Tsunade before abruptly stopping in front of Kushina. She carelessly dropped to her knees, fury burning bright in her purple eyes as she took in the girl's appearance. Pure rage rolled off her and violently crashed against Mito like a tidal wave, but only concern and worry show on her face.

"Oh, kiddo," she sighed as she gently gathered her into her arms. "I hope you beat the pulp out of whoever did this."

Kushina tightly hugged her back. "I tried as hard as I could," she mumbled into her shoulder. "He was a genin and bigger than me, but I still got some good hits in."

"Good," Fumiyo praised, all but crushing the girl to her chest.

"But he called me an outsider, Aunt Fumiyo!" And the girl burst into tears. "All because of my hair! It's always because of my hair! I hate my hair!"

Mito sighed as she met Fumiyo's gaze. They'd had this very same conversation when she was her age. Like Kushina, Fumiyo had relied on violence when facing the children teasing her, but she had her close relationship with Tsunade to deter them.

"Well, I love your red hair, kiddo," Fumiyo told her. "It's just like mine and your papa's and many of our Uzumaki cousins."

"But Mom's an Uzumaki and she's blond like Tsunade," Kushina sniffled. "I wish I looked more like her."

Fumiyo chuckled softly as she carefully fixed her hair. "I'm going to let you in on a secret, kiddo — Uka hates her blond hair," she whispered. "She hates how it makes her stand out among the clan so she prayed and prayed you wouldn't inherit it. Your mama was so happy you got your papa's bright red hair."

"Really?"

"Mhm," Fumiyo hummed with a small smile as she stood and took her hand. "Really, kiddo. We all love your hair so don't listen to those brats."

"I've got to agree with your auntie," Jiraiya grinned. "That red hair of yours makes you unique around these parts. I'm sure you'll grow up to be a real looker just like her and have all the boys' tongues wagging."

A dark shadow comes down over Fumiyo's face, but Tsunade reacts first. "You pervert!" And he went flying clear across the training ground with a swing of her fist. She stomped after him with an exasperated Orochimaru trailing behind her.

Fumiyo rolled her eyes before flashing Kushina a grin as she cracked her knuckles. "How about you introduce me to that genin and then we go get ramen for dinner?" she suggested.

Kushina nodded happily and the two began making their way back to the village after bidding Mito goodbye. She watched them until she no longer could, a fond smile curving at her mouth. But a cool chill suddenly runs down her spine and wiped it away. Mito quickly scanned the now dark trees around her with sharp eyes, immediately locating the disturbance. He had concealed himself relatively well for her great-niece to not have immediately sensed him and she was sure she wouldn't have either if it weren't for the constant darkness that rolled off him at all times.

"Hello, Lord Danzō," Mito called out.

After a moment Danzō Shimura stepped into view. He bowed politely with an amiable smile that she didn't return. "Good afternoon, Lady Senju," he returned. "Forgive my intrusion. I would have revealed myself sooner, but I didn't want to disrupt what appeared to be a delicate situation."

Mito stiffly nodded. "Thank you. It is much appreciated, my lord."

When she said nothing more, Danzō stepped toward her, closing the distance between them with a few strides. "I couldn't help but notice how close your young successor is to your disciple, my lady," he begun, trailing off and leaving his words hanging awkwardly when she didn't immediately respond.

"Yes, they share a close bond," Mito agreed with a cool smile that made the confidence in his eyes falter. "Something to be expected when the two are aunt and niece. I am grateful for such a relationship, especially when the Hidden Eddy's village leader has entrusted her very own granddaughter to take my place."

Danzō dipped his head in acknowledgment. "Yes. A very important relationship indeed, my lady," he said, but it was clear he wasn't pleased by the reminder. "I had forgotten that Fumiyo was the esteemed Uzukage's daughter."

His words make Mito want to laugh, but she refrains, the corners of her mouth tightening in irritation. "Forgive me, but was there a purpose to your visit, Lord Danzō? I had promised to have dinner with Nawaki tonight."

"Oh, no, my lady. I was merely taking a stroll in order to see the village in all its glory on this beautiful spring day when I stumbled upon Hiruzen's students sparring against yours," he explained with a courteous expression that for all intents appeared genuine. Anyone who saw him was sure to believe it, but Mito could sense the malevolence behind his smile through what little of the Kyūbi's power she wielded. The man was searching yet again for a way to completely control Konoha's strongest weapon with little regard to its host and she again put another obstacle in his way toward whatever dark idea of protecting the village he had. "Fumiyo has become quite the shinobi under your tutelage."

Her eyes narrowed. "I've merely taught her everything she needs to know, and she soaked it all in like a sponge," she murmured in a low voice. "And there's no one else I would trust to watch over Kushina."

His expression closes off, but not before she sees the quick flash of irritation. Message clearly received, he stiffly nodded. "Of course, my lady. If I were in your position, there would be no one I would entrust such an important responsibility to other than my own student." Danzō bowed again though it was clear he struggled to remain composed. "Forgive me for taking up your time. Do enjoy your night with your grandson, Lady Senju."

Mito offered him another chilly smile. "Do enjoy your night as well," she told him before turning and making her way back toward the village.

* * *

The vicious rain storm that assaulted the village without warning should have been an obvious sign that something was wrong. But Mito had ignored the howling winds and rumbling thunder that had lasted all through the night. If she had paid heed to the signs outside her window, she would have been more prepared when Fumiyo stumbled into the house the next day.

"Why didn't you send word that you would be a few days late returning?" Mito scolded her. "Kushina and I were growing worried. We're in the middle of war if you've forgotten."

Fumiyo doesn't respond and a chill runs down her spine as a sob tore its way from the girl's throat. Kushina gasped, running from the table over to her aunt. A wave of despair forcefully assaults Mito and she abandoned her tea to rush to Fumiyo's side. Another harsh sob left her, and Mito gently gathered her into her arms.

"What's wrong, Aunt Fumiyo?" Kushina asked with wide frightened eyes.

A low keening sound came from her in response and the warmth of her tears splashed against Mito's skin. "Run and fetch some clean clothes for your aunt," she ordered, pulling Fumiyo to her feet. Mito shifted to fully support the girl's weight against her shoulder and settled Kushina with a sharp look when she didn't immediately leave. Her face was pale with worry, purple eyes glued to Fumiyo's distraught face. "I won't let anything happen to her. Go, Kushina!" The sudden sharpness of her voice makes her jump, but she nods and sprints from the house.

Mito turned her attention back on Fumiyo. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she sobbed uncontrollably. Her clothes were soaking wet and mud was caked to the bottom of her sandals. And her long red hair plastered to her skin added to her sorry state.

Just seeing her like this broke her heart.

"Come, child," she softly murmured, pushing her unkempt hair from her face. "Let's get you cleaned up."

It took time, but Mito was able to get Fumiyo into a hot bath. Her sobs had quietened until they'd almost stopped completely except for the occasional hiccup, though her tears continued to flow freely. Mito tried to get her to open up, but every time she would shake her head and clutch at her mouth to stifle a sob. Frustration and worry ate at her, unable to do anything for Fumiyo without knowing what was going on. But she couldn't pry it out of the girl. It would only hurt her more than she already was.

Mito dressed Fumiyo in one of her yukatas and helped her lay down on a futon. "Rest, Fumiyo," she softly murmured, gently stroking her hair back. "I'll bring you some rice porridge, okay? And then you can sleep." Mito squeezed her cool hand tightly in comfort, not liking the glassy look in her eyes.

Her mouth thinned to a line and she clutched at Fumiyo's hand when she noticed it. _She's almost completely depleted of chakra_ , she realized with a frown. It was a rare occurrence for one of their clan, but not impossible. Fumiyo must have been in a difficult fight on her way back from Uzushiogakure for this to happen even though she didn't have a scratch on her body. But it didn't explain the grief that rolled off her and slammed against Mito's senses like a tidal wave.

"I'm going to send word to the Eddy and let Mikoto know you've returned. She'll want to know about the state you're in," she murmured as she begun to pull away. But she barely releases Fumiyo's hand before the girl grabs on again. Wide eyed, Mito stared down at the stricken look on her great-niece's pale face.

"She'll never receive it," she rasped out before bursting into fresh tears.

A chill ran down Mito's spine. "…What do you mean?"

Fumiyo hid her face behind her hands and shook her head over and over again as she cried. "They're gone," she sobbed. "Everyone, Auntie. Gone. All gone. They came and slaughtered them all…"

Panic and fear shot through her, but she kept her expression neutral as she pulled the comforter tighter around Fumiyo. "Rest," she ordered before stiffly rising and walking from the room.

Mito forced herself to breathe deeply and remain calm. Now wasn't the time to be panicking. She needed to be levelheaded right now. Kushina would be returning any minute and Fumiyo was in no fit state to let the girl near her. Especially if it was true. It couldn't be, but with the renewed tension with Kirigakure over the last decade it was possible.

But she needed answers. Now.

She walked stiffly back towards the bathroom and grabbed the basket filled with Fumiyo's belongings. It only took a minute of searching but she found the black and red mask hidden in the weapon pouch. She'd never once summoned the man herself before, but there was a first time for everything, even at her old age. Mito put the mask on and quickly formed the sequence of hand seals she'd witnessed Fumiyo make countless times before firmly clapping her hands together.

The summoning is instantaneous and Shirasu appears before her. Gone is the perpetual grin on his face and in its place is a grim expression she had never seen him wear. Paired with his demonic visage it made him look more sinister than usual and it sent another terrible shiver through her. He met her gaze and all she could see was a deep sadness in his purple eyes.

"She made it to you. Good," he sighed, relieved. "I had to leave her just before she got close to the compound. I'm grateful the summoning was able to last that long, but it ended at the worst possible moment."

Mito stared, not quite understanding. "Leave her?" she repeated.

Shirasu nodded with a frown. "She was so weak afterwards and I absolutely could not let her stay there any longer," he firmly said with a shake of his head. "I traveled back with her the entire way. I'm sure we scared the kids working at the gate and everyone else who saw. Sorry about that."

His words brought forth an image of the poison green oni-shaped chakra cloak Fumiyo would adopt when they performed the chakra transfer technique, but she pushed it away. "Why would you need to do that? Why is Fumiyo suffering from chakra exhaustion?"

Shirasu fell silent and stared at her without giving anything away. "What has she told you?" he finally said.

"Nothing," she told him, frustration leaking into her voice. "Your daughter is completely incapacitated by despair and grief and I cannot for the life of me understand why. Kushina and I are worried, Shirasu!" He flinched at the sharpness of her voice. "Tell me what's going on!"

"The Hidden Eddy has fallen, Lady Senju," Shirasu solemnly said and her blood ran cold. "The Uzumaki clan is no more."

A noise of disbelief escaped Mito as tears pricked at her eyes. "How?"

"Kirigakure, my lady. They attacked without warning and massacred the entire village," he told her, voice detached and devoid of emotion.

"And Fumiyo?" His eyes quickly darted off to the side before focusing on her again, but Mito saw. "What did she do?"

He sighed tiredly, scrubbing a clawed hand across his face. "She has a scroll," he said reluctantly. "Open it and you'll understand." Before Mito can demand an explanation from him, Shirasu ended the summons.

A huff of irritation escaped her; he was an infuriating man. But she knew Shirasu meant well, especially when it concerned his daughter. Mito turned and sifted through Fumiyo's belongings again and found a plain storage scroll hidden within the folds of her muddied yukata. She opened it with a practiced flick of her wrist only to find it was locked.

Mito quietly crept back into the room Fumiyo was resting in and knelt beside her. Fumiyo's steady breathing as she slept remained even as she lifted the arm weighed down by a set of prayer beads and transferred some of her own chakra. Almost immediately her fingertips ignite with chakra and a complex key was revealed on her palm and inner arm. Mito brought her hand down and the lock came undone to reveal a set of storage scrolls and extra kunai and shurikren.

She silently gathered everything in her arms and brought it all back to her own room. Before she can close the door, a small voice called out to her.

"Lady Mito?" Kushina called out from the end of the hallway. "I've returned. And we have a visitor."

A silent curse escaped Mito and she quickly rushed toward the girl. Kushina stood at the front door clutching a rucksack to her chest with a wide-eyed expression on her face, but it was the person with her that drew her attention.

Hiruzen stood beside the girl dressed in his white Hokage's robes without his formal hat. He sent Mito an apologetic smile as she came to a stop before them. "Forgive my sudden intrusion, Lady Mito," he apologized.

Mito nodded in his direction as Kushina rushed toward her. "I promised your aunt some rice porridge. Do you mind making it for her?" she asked quietly. Kushina nodded readily, though it was obvious she wished to say something but the Hokage's presence impeded her. The girl ran off in the direction of the kitchen, only looking back once to glance at Mito with worried eyes.

Once she was gone, Mito turned to face the Hokage. "I'm sorry, Hiruzen, but I'm afraid this isn't the best time."

He silently appraised her from his position beside the door. "I was told Fumiyo returned from her visit to the Hidden Eddy. My men were concerned that she appeared unwell when she stepped through the gate and brought it to my attention."

Mito kept her expression neutral and met Hiruzen's gaze head on. His men had most likely seen Shirasu's chakra cloak when Fumiyo walked through the village and immediately reported it to him. They were in the middle of a war after all. It was hardly a surprise if they were worried she had been compromised. "Fumiyo is currently resting. She began to run a fever from last night's storm. Kushina and I are now tending to her." He didn't need to know about the matter of their clan quite yet. There were still questions she needed answers to and there was the matter of telling Kushina. The girl needed to be told about the state of her own clan before any outsider was informed.

Hiruzen said nothing except to stare at Mito and she stared back. He wouldn't be able to pry any of the information he was looking for from her and he knew it. Even if he dared ask, she would never say.

He finally nodded, accepting her words. "That's good if that's all it is," he said. "I'm sorry for intruding. Please tell Fumiyo that I hope she recovers soon, Lady Mito."

"Of course, Lord Hokage."

Hiruzen bowed politely to her before taking his leave and Mito saw him out before helping Kushina in the kitchen. The child kept sending her furtive glances every few minutes as they cooked. It makes Mito sigh, but she pretends not to notice. She wasn't the one Kushina needed to deliver the bad news to her.

When they finished, Mito carefully filled a dish with the rice porridge and put it on a tray along with a hot pot of tea. She handed it all to Kushina and smoothed a wayward lock of red hair out of the girl's face. "Bring this to Fumiyo and make sure she eats, okay?" she softly murmured. "I have some things I need to take care of, but I'll come check in on her afterwards."

Kushina nodded readily but frowned up at her. "What's wrong with her, Lady Mito? I've never seen Aunt Fumiyo cry before. Not like that at least."

Mito stroked the girl's cheek, lips pursed as she considered her answer. "Something happened in the Eddy while she was visiting your parents and your grandmother," she told her softly. "It's why she is in her current state. But I'm sure Fumiyo will recover and all will be well again."

Kushina stared up at her with doubt in her purple eyes before looking away, fingers tightening around the tray. "I hope so. I'm really worried about her."

"Give her time, child. Okay?" Mito gently turned her in the direction of Fumiyo's room.

Once she was out of sight, Mito returned to her own room. She reached for the forgotten pile of storage scrolls and opened them all. The first two contained a few sets of clean clothes and her swords along with what looked like some hair combs and kanzashi in an assortment of styles. Mito set all of it aside and cautiously opened the final scroll. The seal opened easily enough with a sizable cloud of smoke that she swiftly waves away.

What she sees freezes the blood in her body and sends a chill of terror through her.

Her dark eyes slowly took in the terrible sight in front of her. _Oh, Fumiyo. What have you done?_ A few dozen oni masks sat before her painted in black and white with a variety of expressions, each one faintly thrumming with chakra. Mito hesitantly ran a searching hand over them before pulling one from the pile. Her hand shook as she stroked a cold finger across its carved fangs and fear shot through her like ice.

What possessed her great-niece to do this?

With shaky hands, Mito brought the mask to her face as she infused chakra before weakly clapping her hands. Nothing happens for a minute before the mask became warm against her skin and she pulls it away, dropping it back on top of the large pile beside her. The familiar smoky scent of tobacco filled her nose and Mito looked up. An older gentleman about her age dressed in long heavy robes over a simple kimono smoking from a gold kiseru stood beside her. She raised her eyes to look at him and found long dark red hair that was almost brown framing his familiar face, but it's the ivory horns protruding from the crown of his head and the long, sharp black nails of the hand holding the pipe that give her pause.

He glanced down at her over the end of his pipe and offered her a small smile. "Hello, sister."

A wordless cry left Mito's lips and she forced herself to rise to her feet. "Jōichirō," she sobbed, wrapping her brother in a tight hug.

A deep chuckle rumbled from his surprisingly warm chest as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You've grown old, Mito," Jōichirō's chuckled. "To think we haven't properly stood face to face like this since your wedding to Hashirama. How many years has it been since then? Too many to count I suspect."

"What happened?" Mito demanded, pulling away to look him in the eye. "Shirasu told me Uzushiogakure is—is _gone_." It's a struggle to say the words and they put a sour taste on her tongue. "I don't understand."

Jōichirō released her with a sigh and folded his hands inside the deep sleeves of his robes. The ivory horns on his head lit up with pale blue chakra that flickered like a gentle flame as he took in her desolate expression. "They came without warning, somehow bypassing our sensor types and the barrier surrounding the village," he told her, his voice soft and detached of emotion. "One moment it was calm like any other day, and the next the air was filled with the screams of our clansmen. I always knew the day Kirigakure would attack would come but I always assumed we would be prepared. But we weren't." He trailed off and his eyes grew distant. "It was chaos. They outnumbered us and no matter how many of us were capable of fighting, we weren't strong enough…"

"But Fumiyo survived," Mito was quick to point out. "She survived and returned to me and Kushina."

"That's good." Relief immediately flooded his expression. "We told her to run after all."

Mito sent a pointed glare at the horns on his head. "You and I both know she didn't run, Jōichirō. You are proof of that."

Her brother looked away as he brought the pipe back to his mouth. "Yes," he conceded, releasing a long swirl of smoke. "My granddaughter is just as stubborn as her mother."

"And just as talented if all of these masks are any indication." Mito fingered the mask in her hands, recognizing it as a noh mask used for stage performances, before lifting her dark eyes to meet his again. "How did she learn the jutsu? Mikoto never said how she was able to successfully seal a piece of her husband's chakra into his mask and I'm fairly certain Fumiyo would have told me if she had told her. Not even the Scroll of Forbidden Sealing gives a detailed set of instructions."

"I don't know, Mito," he admitted with a shake of his head. "I gave her the Scroll of Forbidden Sealing, but—"

"You did what?!" She threw him an incredulous look. "You gave it to her?" Mito turned and hurriedly searched through the pile of masks. She would have noticed something as important as that scroll mixed in among everything Fumiyo had and there was only place she hadn't searched.

And as predicted, Mito found it hidden underneath. The Scroll of Forbidden Sealing was a sacred and important tool belonging to the Uzumaki clan filled with countless forbidden fūinjutsu that had been compiled and hidden away for generations. Many were deemed forbidden simply because of the danger presented to the caster while others for their potential destructive capabilities. But some jutsu were incomplete, scrapped and hidden away because of the possible dangers it could present in any number of ways.

Just like the jutsu that allowed one to seal away a piece of a deceased person's chakra so that they may be called back from the Far Shore.

Mito carefully opened the scroll until she found the incomplete details of the unnamed fūinjutsu. As expected, it tells her very little and she cannot for the life of her begin to follow the thought processes of first her niece and then her daughter that allowed them to complete the jutsu.

"How do you think she did it, Jōichirō?" Mito whispered, staring down at the scroll. "Mikoto would never say…"

"I had help from the Reaper Death God."

They turned and found Fumiyo standing in the doorway clinging to its frame. Her skin was pale and there were dark circles under her red eyes. It was obvious that she was still very weak and the effort it took her to get all the way here was clear.

"You should be resting," Mito was quick to scold her. "Did you eat? Where is Kushina?"

"Resting in my place," Fumiyo grunted. She slid the door shut behind her and leaned against the wall beside it in an effort to remain upright. Her purple eyes settled on Mito. "Mother had me and Jin forge a contract with the Death God when we were teenagers, Aunt Mito. I summoned him and used his power to seal the chakra of every member of the clan I could find so that they could be recalled. It's why Papa and Grandfather look like oni, like the Death God."

Mito turned to stare at her brother, comparing his new look to that of the great Shinigami. Disbelief shot through her and she silently wondered how she hadn't immediately seen the similarities. It explained the ogre-like features and demonic appearance Shirasu had adopted after his death. She'd always assumed his new look was due to his becoming something akin to an ayakashi.

"Every clan member?" Mito asked.

Fumiyo dipped her head once. "Yes. Every one I was able to find," she confirmed as she stared at her grandfather with glassy eyes. "And if there were any survivors, they fled the village unlike me."

"You were supposed to have left the moment I placed that scroll in your hands, Fumiyo-chan," Jōichirō said as he blew out another wisp of smoke.

A dark shadow came down over her face and her eyes narrowed. "Did you really think I was just going to run away while my family died around me?" she hissed in a low voice. "Everyone was so fixated on Kushina needing me once she succeeded Aunt Mito. But I was thinking of her as well. And all I could think was how much she needed her parents too." Fumiyo looked away as she bit at her lip, tears stinging her eyes. "For the first time, I finally understood why Mother sealed Papa's chakra into his mask."

"Will you tell her about us?" her brother curiously asked.

Fumiyo shook her head once. "No," she said, "Jin and Uka asked me not to and I intend to honor their wishes even if I don't agree."

"And what of the Eddy?" Mito asked next. "What will you tell her?"

A haunted look almost too quick for Mito to catch crossed Fumiyo's face. "I'll tell Kushina everything she needs to know," she answered and there was a hard, ominous edge to her words that sent a sense of dread through the jinchūriki.

 _What else could have happened?_ Mito silently wondered.

She decides against asking and instead nods. "Good."

But from that day until the day of the Kyūbi's transfer, Mito always wondered what secrets Fumiyo kept about the destruction of Uzushiogakure. She never dared ask, dreading whatever answer her great-niece would give her. Something told her it had something to do with their clan's Scroll of Forbidden Sealing due to how jealously she held on to it.

The only thing she was certain of was that Fumiyo would never speak of the horrors she witnessed during her final visit and that whatever she saw would always haunt her until she died.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

 **Retrograde**

 **Chapter 11**

Naruto zipped up his jacket as he quickly jogged down the new wooden stairs of the mask storage temple. He slowed to a stop as a warm breeze rustled through the trees that gently tousled his long hair and quickly glanced around. A soft smile turned the corners of his mouth upward once he spotted Hinata.

Her long dark hair swayed in the wind as she intently listened to whatever Shinta was saying from his position on her shoulder. She nodded and pulled out a blank tag from her pocket before drawing on it. Hinata held it up for Shinta's inspection and attached it to the tree beside them after getting his approval.

He folded his arms behind his head and slowly made his way to them. It had become a common sight to see his wife with one or both of the red panda summoning animals. Ever since Aunt Fumiyo had doubled down on their fūinjutsu training over the past couple of weeks, Naruto had rarely seen Hinata without them. And since her and Fumiyo's meeting with Hiashi a couple days ago, she'd started to take them around the village with her. Everyone had instantly become curious when they saw the Hyūga heiress with the Ogre Bride's personal summons wearing the Uzumaki clan symbol. The whispering and pointing about him and Aunt Fumiyo included Hinata now, but at least people wouldn't question why the two of them were suddenly spending so much time together.

As he got closer to them, the tan pouch peeking out from the bottom of Hinata's lavender jacket drew Naruto's gaze. "This is new," he said, coming to a stop behind her. He lifted the hem of her jacket to get a better look and felt the corners of his mouth curve up. "Auntie give you this?" he asked, tracing the swirl symbol stitched onto the flap of the bag.

Hinata nodded over her shoulder as Shinta crawled down to hang from her arms. "Last night," she told him. "Fumiyo dug it out from the annex after you passed out."

Naruto hummed at her words as he thought back to the night before. Aunt Fumiyo had made her first attempt at altering his seal and according to her it didn't quite go as planned. He assumed that was the case when he woke at dawn feeling like he'd been tossed around like a rag doll with his seal as tight as ever. And it didn't help that his last clear memory was of Kurama's barking laughter as he was forcibly thrown away from the gate that separated them. Everything after that was a blank.

"Was this hers?" he asked her, noting the slightly faded color of the fabric and the carefully stitched up tear on the side. It looked like it had been well cared for after all of the battles it seemed to have gone through.

She shook her head, pale eyes intently watching him. "No. It was your mother's."

Naruto's breath hitched at her words as he felt his eyes sting with tears. He knew his great-aunt had quite a few of his parents' belongings salvaged from the ruin of their home after Kurama's rampage in the storage annex, but he didn't think she'd have something like this. There'd just been old clothes and scrolls along with a worn set of Pervy Sage's books and some random trinkets when he'd gone through some of the boxes. Who knew something like this had been in there?

"It looks good on you," he softly murmured after a moment.

His wife's cheeks turned pink at his words. "Thank you."

Shinta suddenly squirmed in her arms, breaking their moment and drawing their attention. "Are you two prepared?" he asked as he anxiously glanced between them. "I know Lady Fumiyo approves of this, but please – _please_ – be careful."

A wide grin stretched across Naruto's face and he gently patted Shinta on the head. "We'll be fine. It's not the first time we've done this, ya know!"

The summoning animal eyed him skeptically. "If you're sure..." Shinta glanced worriedly between them before disappearing in a sudden cloud of smoke and a pop.

Naruto and Hinata began their trek around the mask storage temple and away from the village. The trees grew denser and more in number the further they walked, and Naruto felt his heart start to pound. He frantically looked around for something to distract himself and his eyes fell on his wife beside him. He focused on her steady breaths and forced himself to match his breathing to hers.

And almost immediately she looked back at him with those knowing eyes of hers. He offered her a smile that he didn't think she bought in response and attempted to distract himself as they got closer to their destination. "So, I never got the chance to ask, but how'd it go with Hiashi the other day?" Naruto held back the heavy tree branch blocking the path and let Hinata pass first before following. "What did he say?"

"He was much more receptive once Fumiyo told him that I would be her first student. The first person outside the clan she would teach Uzumaki sealing jutsu to," she told him as they came to a stop in a small clearing in the forest behind the storage temple. Hinata fell silent with a frown and he shot her a questioning look. "Neji was acting strange the entire time Fumiyo was there. I don't think he likes her very much."

Naruto nodded, unsurprised. Auntie was a stranger to him after all and he was sure he'd heard at least some of the rumors about her. "It's probably nothing to worry about," he said. "He'll warm up to her."

"Maybe." She leaned back against the tree they were stopped next to. "But in the end Father agreed to let her train me."

He stepped in closer until they were almost touching. "And now we don't have to sneak around," he murmured.

Hinata blushed but didn't look away as she thread their fingers together. She lifted up on her toes and pressed a soft kiss against his lips. It only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough to make his heart pound. Her arms went around his waist and they stood in comfortable silence among the trees behind the storage temple.

His mind wandered as he listened to his wife's gentle breathes and the sound of leaves swaying in the wind. Just an hour ago he thought he was fully prepared for what they were about to do. But now he was unsure. What if it didn't go well? For all he knew everything could go wrong and it would all just end up being one huge mistake.

That was the last thing he wanted to happen.

A warm hand on his cheek drew his attention and he met his wife's worried gaze. Hinata stared up at him with a slight frown as she gently stroked his face. His expression softened at the question in her eyes.

"I'm nervous," he whispered, holding her hand in place.

A reassuring smile pulled at her mouth. "And that's okay," she whispered back. "There's nothing wrong with being nervous right now."

He nodded, pressing another kiss to her mouth in thanks before pulling away. Naruto glanced behind them at the village one last time before unzipping his jacket and pulling out one of the carved masks from the temple. Its black and white face had a neutral expression with two fangs sticking out of the mouth and a single gold horn at the top. He stared down at it for a moment before lifting it to his face. The wood was cool and unfamiliar against his face, but it somehow felt right too.

Naruto took a single deep breath and quickly weaved the hand seals for the summoning jutsu before clapping his hands together once. The air remained still and untouched around them and he pulled the mask away with a frown. The summoning definitely worked; Naruto was sure it had.

Hinata tugged at his sleeve. "Where is she?" she whispered.

He scanned the surrounding trees but didn't sense anything. "I'm not sure," he whispered back.

There was no way the summoning failed, and he knew from experience that even if he couldn't see anything it didn't mean nothing was there. Naruto closed his eyes and relaxed his breathing as he gathered nature energy and slipped into Sage Mode. But he regretted it almost immediately as the killing intent smacked him in the face.

It was vicious and raw and aimed at him and his wife!

A kunai filled his hand with a sharp flick of his wrist and he fell into a defensive crouch. "Go ahead without me!" he shouted over his shoulder.

"But—!"

"Go!" he repeated, fingers tightening around the handle of his kunai. "I can handle her."

Naruto didn't wait for a response and sprinted toward the source of the killing intent. Two shadow clones armed with kunai of their own materialized beside him and he fell back as they attacked the same tree. As expected, they were both defeated before they could properly attack with quick efficiency in a matter of seconds, but it was enough. Naruto dropped down from above, kunai readied in front of him, and attacked.

The sound of metal clashing filled the air for a split second as their blades met before he was thrown backward. At the last second Naruto twisted his body and used the tree at his back to propel himself back toward her and tried again. But her chakra suddenly changed just as he got within arm's length and she lunged, white robes obscuring her movements. Naruto threw himself away, putting distance between them.

Whatever anxiety he had been feeling earlier was gone, replaced with adrenaline and something he could only describe as excitement.

He silently eyed the person across from him, taking in her appearance. The woman had pale blond hair like Granny Tsunade's piled on her head and big brown eyes that stood out from her slim face. She wore a white and green kimono tied with a dark purple and gold sash. His eyes flicked down to look at its long, exaggerated sleeves that went past her hips, reminding him of Aunt Fumiyo and her penchant of keeping her hands hidden in her kimono sleeves to prevent her opponents from seeing her hand seals. It was no wonder he hadn't seen her senbon until she almost stabbed him.

"Who are you? How did you summon me?" she hissed, and Naruto's eyes flickered up to look at the horns poking out from between her bangs.

He grinned at her. "With this mask," he said, pulling it out for her to see.

Her eyes narrowed to slits as a shadow came down over her face and she snarled. "How dare you!" She launched herself at him and Naruto leapt back, barely throwing up his kunai in time to parry her attack.

The sound of metal scraping on metal filled the air as they traded blows. She was fast, faster than he expected, and with her fury he's barely able to keep up with her even in Sage Mode. And if she was this fast, he could only imagine what the others were like.

They went back and forth for what seemed like forever until he finally broke her needles. Her dark eyes flashed dangerously and her stance changed. With her endless supply of senbon gone, the woman threw back the sleeves of her kimono to fully reveal her hands. They lacked the long, sharp nails he expected, but that wasn't what drew his attention – it was the highly condensed chakra coating her fingertips.

 _Chakra scalpels,_ he realized.

Naruto turned and sprinted in the direction of Hinata's chakra signature with her close on his heels. The sound of wood breaking and splintering was loud in his ears as he dodged and weaved her attacks. He took a chance and glanced over his shoulder but regretted it almost immediately as one of her chakra coated hands almost made contact with his face. He jerked away and kicked off against the nearest tree. An ominous creak sounded, followed by a loud earthshaking crash that sent a shiver down his spine.

He chanced another glance and his eyes went wide. _Why are medic-nin so terrifying?_ He was barely able to finish the thought before she was on top of him again, but thankfully Hinata was waiting for him.

Naruto slid into the clearing with the woman close on his heels and Hinata rapidly weaved a set of hand seals, activating the tags placed on the surrounding trees. The barrier immediately went up and he quickly scrambled out of it. Relief flooded him as he leaned back against the trunk of the tree Hinata stood next to.

On the other side of the barrier, Naruto's grandmother frowned at them. All traces of her killing intent were gone, replaced instead with confusion on her pale face. They watched her press a slim finger against the barrier and get repelled. Her dark eyes widened in surprise and the corners of her mouth curled upward.

"It's been a long time since I've seen this type of barrier," she softly whispered. She turned her gaze on Naruto and Hinata. "Was it Fumiyo who taught you this? She's the only one who could."

Hinata nodded. "She did."

She stroked the barrier, inspecting it. "It's very good. You've got the basics down since the boy was able to escape and I'm still trapped in here. But it could be better," she hummed before punching a hole through the barrier and destroying it.

Hinata gasped and Naruto could only stare as his grandmother reached out toward them, her hand moving in close to their faces. But she only reached between them to peel off the tag from the tree behind them. She quickly scanned it before holding it up for them to see. "Your lines are okay, but next time draw them tighter together. And always try to place an even number of tags – that'll make it harder to destroy."

Naruto nodded, unable to take his eyes from her. Now that she wasn't trying to kill him anymore, he couldn't help but stare at his grandmother. She looked the same as she had when they'd met in the future – pretty, regal, and _young_.

Younger than he had originally expected if he were honest.

His grandmother tilted her head to the side, scrutinizing them. "So, who are you?" she asked, hands resting on her hips. "You must be very special for Fumiyo to entrust her jutsu to. Especially since this one's meant to trap the Kyūbi and save the unfortunate souls near the beast." She waved the sealing tag at them. "And you obviously know about the masks if you were this prepared."

A wide grin spread across his face. "I'm Naruto and this is Hinata, ya know!"

She stilled, eyes going wide as all the blood drained from her face. "Then you're my grandson!" she all but screeched, losing her calm demeanor. "I'm so sorry! Shirasu told us and when you summoned me, I panicked. _Aah!_ " She hid her face behind her sleeves and moaned. "I'm so embarrassed! If Jin were here right now, he'd laugh at me!"

"I can summon him too, if you want," Naruto offered.

His grandmother – _Uka_ , he reminded himself – peered at them over the edge of her sleeve. "You have his mask with you right now, don't you?" she asked, glancing at his jacket.

He grinned and nodded. "I do," he confirmed, pulling out the plain black and white oni mask. Naruto put it on before she could say anything and firmly clapped his hands.

After a beat as the summoning, he heard Hinata's sharp gasp beside him and saw Uka's dark eyes go wide again, but all Naruto could focus on was the sharp blade pressed against his throat.

"Who are you?" His voice was a cold, detached whisper against the back of Naruto's neck, sending a shiver down his spine. He pressed the blade more firmly, drawing a gasp from the jinchūriki as it nicked him.

"Jin!" Uka gasped. She threw herself at them and pried the blade away from Naruto's throat. "That's Naruto! Our grandson!"

Jin froze. "What…" The blade slipped from his grip and fell to their feet. "Kushina's boy?"

Uka sharply nodded as she moved to heal Naruto. "Yes, her boy," she tersely repeated.

Shaky hands gently turned him and Naruto found himself staring into a pair of wide purple eyes. "I'm so sorry. I should have realized. Forgive me," he apologized as he gently framed Naruto's face with his warm hands. His expression softened and tears filled his eyes as he studied him. After a moment the corners of his mouth lifted up. "Look at you. My grandson. You remind me of Kushina when she was this age."

A lump formed in Naruto's throat and his vision blurred. "Auntie said the same thing, Grandpa."

Jin laughed before wrapping his arms around him in a bone-crushing hug. "I've always wanted to hear that!" he chuckled, holding Naruto tight.

"Oh, how I wish Kushina could be here right this very moment," his grandmother softly murmured as she hugged him too.

Naruto sobbed as hot tears streamed down his face. Ever since he had met Fumiyo, he had wondered what his other relatives had been like. And when his great-aunt showed him her masks and taught him the summoning jutsu, all he'd wanted was for this very moment to happen. War had made any hope of that happening unimaginable, but now he could actually get to know his grandparents and all sorts of other family members and clansmen.

Hinata's warm arms wrapped around his waist and he sobbed a little harder.

He'd always longed for a moment like this and he never wanted it to end.

But after a few minutes it did. Uka gently combed her fingers through his hair before pulling away. Her smile was a little sad as she moved to stand beside Jin. "It's time for us to go, Naruto."

His heart sunk into his stomach. "What, why?"

She held up her hand and flexed her fingers. "The summoning is almost over."

Naruto could only nod as Jin hugged him again. His grandfather held him by the shoulders, his smile just as sad. "It takes a lot of chakra just to summon one of us," he told him. "Even more to summon us both for a long period of time."

His grandmother stroked his cheek. "So, train hard. Both of you," she murmured, directing her smile at Hinata beside him.

"Maybe one day you'll be able to summon all of us at once like Fumiyo," Jin suggested with a grin.

Uka pressed a kiss to his cheek. "We'll see you soon, Naruto."

And then they were gone in a cloud of smoke.

Naruto stared at the spot they disappeared and then it hit him. The adrenaline and excitement and anxiety pumping through his veins left him all at once and he suddenly realized just how tired he really was. He hadn't even realized the summonings had taken this much out of him. Naruto collapsed, but Hinata caught him around the waist just as all the memories of his shadow clones came rushing back to him before blacking out.

* * *

Trying to figure out was going on with his three brats was harder than Kakashi realized it was going to be. As far he could tell the three of them weren't doing anything out of the ordinary. Sakura was back to working at the hospital with back to back surgeries on her schedule according to Lady Tsunade. Sasuke mostly kept to himself if he wasn't with them, spending time at Lady Fumiyo's house alone or wandering around the village. Naruto would visit Master Jiraiya in the mornings before often meeting Sasuke at Training Ground 3 to spar. Afterward, they would go meet Sakura and sometimes Hinata at Ichiraku. The three would stay for about an hour before parting ways.

Over the past couple of weeks, Kakashi had spent time eavesdropping on a few of their meetings hidden behind a transformation. But all their conversations were about mundane topics. Sakura would ask if Sasuke was doing well and he would respond with a one- or two-word answer while Naruto continued to eat his ramen with more enthusiasm than usual. They would even gossip about their friends and reminisce about their days as genin like it was all a distant memory. The conversations were sometimes stilted and awkward, and it was obvious some of the topics made them a little sad when they would suddenly trail off and go quiet.

It made Kakashi sad when that happened, but it was also somewhat of a relief. Other than that, they were acting so normal he couldn't tell if he had just been imagining things when they brought Sasuke back to the village.

The only thing that made him think otherwise was the way Naruto interacted with Lady Fumiyo.

They appeared to get along well, better than two people who had only met a couple weeks ago should. Somehow Naruto was already living with her in that old house, although that could have been so he could keep an eye on Sasuke considering how desperate he had been to bring him back to the village. And the few times Kakashi had gone there to check on them, he would occasionally overhear Naruto and Lady Fumiyo talking. They were somehow already casual with one another, with Lady Fumiyo teasing him about his ramen obsession while he called her 'Auntie.'

It shouldn't have surprised Kakashi that Naruto had formed a strong bond with his great-aunt despite just meeting her, but it did. He had expected the boy to be at least a little shy or wary around her since she was the first blood relative he had ever met.

And it certainly didn't help that Naruto's clones ran around the village helping her run errands or that he had somehow convinced Sasuke and Sakura to help them restore the Uzumaki clan's storage temple.

Identical loud voices arguing somewhere near him drew Kakashi's attention, breaking him from his thoughts. He peered over the top of his worn copy of _Icha Icha_ and spotted Sasuke with three Naruto's carrying wooden planks and other building materials as they passed through the center of the village marketplace. The clones were bickering and arguing amongst themselves while Sasuke followed behind them with a scowl and an irritated expression.

"Come on, guys! Hurry up!" the clone at the front yelled out. "The boss'll be angry if we're late."

The clone helping him carry the other end of the plank glared at the back of his head. "We're already late."

"And whose fault is that?" the third clone snapped.

Sasuke suddenly stopped and the clones all turned to look at him in confusion. The Uchiha glared back, making them squirm under his harsh gaze, and clicked his tongue. "Yours," he growled. "All three of you. If you hadn't stopped for ramen, we would have already been there and back by now."

The clones all made identical expressions of indignation before suddenly disappearing in clouds of smoke and a loud pop. The building supplies crashed to the ground and Sasuke blankly stared at it for half a second before taking off.

Kakashi hastily stuffed his book into his pouch and took off after him. He followed Sasuke through the busy village and over rooftops until they hit trees. Sasuke moved fast, faster than he expected, forcing Kakashi to speed up as they jumped from tree to tree.

"Sasuke!" he called out, but the boy ignored him. "Sasuke, what's going on? What happened to Naruto?" He didn't acknowledge him and Kakashi frowned at his back, keeping close as they kept moving. _Something's wrong._

Within minutes the Uzumaki storage temple came into view. Sasuke paused, mismatched eyes quickly scanning their surroundings. Kakashi glanced around for himself. The temple was under construction with the majority of its outer walls replaced and two new stone pillars holding up the repaired awning. A large wooden carving of the Uzumaki clan symbol rested against the new stairs leading up to the partially open unpainted doors. But other than the temple and the swaying trees he didn't see anything or anyone.

Sasuke clicked his tongue. "Where are they?" he muttered to himself. He stomped up the stairs and shoved the doors open.

Kakashi followed him inside, surprised by how quickly they did the repairs. Before he could think too much about it, the sound of a door being slammed open drew his attention. He looked up in time to watch Sasuke pass through the second set of double doors.

"Sasuke!" cried a familiar voice.

"What happened to the loser?" he demanded.

Kakashi peered inside. Sasuke stood beside the wall covered in oni masks with an annoyed expression. He followed his gaze to see Hinata kneeling beside Naruto's unconscious body. Her hands hovered over his chest, glowing with chakra as she healed him.

A fond smile spread across the Hyūga girl's face as her pale eyes returned to Naruto. "He just got a little over excited," she softly murmured as she smoothed back the blond boy's hair.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted in response. "He still doesn't have any restraint after all these years." The words were said with a roll of his eyes, but to Kakashi's surprise there was no malice or sarcasm in his voice. In fact, he almost sounded… _relieved?_

He warily eyed the two as he moved closer to kneel beside Naruto. He could already tell something was off here.

"So, what happened?" Kakashi asked as Hinata pulled her hands away.

He watched her pale eyes quickly darted up to look at Sasuke beside them before landing on Naruto again. Anxiety crossed her face for a split second almost too fast for him to catch only to be replaced with a neutral expression. Sasuke merely blinked in response but didn't say anything.

Kakashi frowned behind his mask. _Something was definitely off._

"Naruto and I were practicing the sealing techniques Fumiyo-shishō taught us. He just overdid it a little." There was no deception in Hinata's voice, but it still felt like she was somehow lying.

Naruto suddenly sat up with a shout and Kakashi reeled backward just in time to avoid bumping heads with the jinchūriki. "What happened? Where am I?" he yelled. "Did we beat those bastards? Is it finally over?"

Kakashi's frown deepened. What was he talking about? Did he mean the Akatsuki?

Hinata gently pushed him back down. "We're in the mask storage temple, remember?"

Naruto stared up at her for a long minute without saying anything and Kakashi felt the urge to look away as he took hold of her hand. He felt like an intruder. It was the same feeling he'd had during their mission to bring Sasuke back to the village. They held hands back then too if he remembered correctly. And he had just begun to think he'd been imagining that even happened.

It was like he was a teenager again looking at Minato-sensei and Kushina when they were married.

But that couldn't be right.

Growing teenagers they might be, there was no way they could have grown this much without his notice. Anyone with working vision could see that the reserved and timid Hyūga girl had a crush on his sensei's oblivious son who didn't even know the definition of the word. But what he saw in front of him said different.

He looked between them, brow slightly furrowed. _What's going on? Am I imagining this?_

Kakashi glanced at Sasuke, but he was no help. The boy didn't even blink, like this was normal to him.

Naruto glanced around for the first time and finally noticed Kakashi, blue eyes going wide. "Kakashi-sensei!" he shouted as he sat up. His eyes darted down to where he still held Hinata's hand and the two quickly snatched their hands back, faces red.

"Are you okay, Naruto?" he asked. Kakashi looked him over for himself but didn't see any injuries other than the scrape on his forehead.

He nodded with a grin, sheepishly scratching at the back of his head. "Yeah, sensei, I'm okay. Just need to train some more, ya know."

"You better be," Sasuke retorted, reaching up to rub at the back of his neck. "We need to go get the stuff your clones dropped back in the village."

Naruto pulled Hinata up with him as he stood. The boy stretched and turned his grin on the Uchiha. "Sorry, Sasuke." He formed the clone seal and more than a dozen shadow clones suddenly surrounded them. "Better?" he asked.

The clones immediately went to work, rushing around finishing the temple repairs while yelling orders at one another. A group of four rushed out the doors while the other ten Kakashi counted stayed behind.

Kakashi smiled a little behind his mask as he watched them. It still amazed him how effortless how Naruto was able to make a seemingly infinite number of shadow clones.

Sasuke didn't respond, instead turning on his heel and following them out.

"You've gotten a lot done already," Kakashi commented, watching the clones work.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. But there's still a lot to do. And Auntie wants us to put up the protective seals when we're done," he sighed, sharing a glance with Hinata.

"It won't be hard, Naruto," she reassured, gently patting his arm. "I looked at the seals and they're similar to the ones she already taught us."

"Lady Fumiyo's been training you both?" Kakashi asked. That was a surprise. Training Naruto was obvious considering she was basically the last known person to practice Uzumaki style fūinjutsu. It was his birthright. But Hinata too? From what he remembered, Lady Fumiyo was notorious for refusing to take on apprentices or become a jōnin sensei, even when ordered by the Hokage.

"Yes," Hinata confirmed with a small nod. "She's been training us every night for nearly a week now."

Kakashi's eye narrowed in suspicion as he looked between them. Only a week? And Lady Uzumaki expected them to be able to place the protective fūinjutsu tags? That couldn't be right. Kushina had taught him sealing jutsu and it had taken him months if not a year to produce something she was satisfied with.

"I'm happy to hear that," was all he could say, but it was a struggle to get the words out.

He watched Naruto and Hinata move about the temple helping the clones with unease. Up until then he'd still had some doubt in his heart about anything being wrong with Naruto and the others, but now he was almost certain something was. They weren't the same as they were just a few weeks ago and it definitely had nothing to do with them being teenagers.

And if he had to look at the facts, it all started with their mission to track down Itachi. On top of that, it now seemed like Lady Uzumaki was involved in some shape or form as well.

Thinking about it made Kakashi's head hurt, but he couldn't do anything about it right now. He needed more concrete proof if he was ever going to confront them about something that was nothing but a suspicion right now.

After a beat, Kakashi stood and let a smile spread across his face as he turned to look at Naruto. "So, where do you need me? I can help you guys with anything."


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

 **Retrograde**

 **Chapter 12**

Fifteen days.

It had been fifteen days since Itachi had found himself staring back at his little brother. Fifteen long days since he had first woken up in his tiny cell in Konoha's Intelligence Department.

The first five days had been easy in hindsight. He hadn't completely believed that Lady Fumiyo was trying to protect him despite the precautions she'd made, but day six made him change his mind. The muted presence he had sensed lurking just on the other side of one of his cell walls had set him on edge and kept him awake all night. That incident had lasted in between the short span of time the Anbu swapped shifts. But those few minutes had felt longer than the entirety of his fifteen days of imprisonment in T&I.

Itachi had mentioned the incident to Lady Fumiyo the day after it happened, and her reaction had been interesting. She hadn't even blinked an eye when he told her, like she had already expected something like that to happen.

"I had a visitor last night," he'd told her when she had settled in for their daily session.

Her eyes had narrowed at his words before quickly scanning the room. "Where?" she'd demanded, eyeing her sealwork on the wall around them.

He had then pointed behind him at the wall where his cot was pressed against it. "Behind that wall," he told her, distinctly remembering the unwanted feeling of being watched by a set of unfamiliar eyes from a presence just beside his head. It had only lasted for a few minutes, but it had been enough to set him on edge and keep him up all through the night. He was sure it was one of Danzō's men sent as a reminder, but he couldn't prove it if it was true.

Lady Fumiyo had then frowned, her sharp eyes darting past him over his shoulder. "And where were the guards?" she asked.

"Gone. It was during their shift change," Itachi said and he'd watched her frown deepen, annoyance flashing across her face. "Whoever it was stood there for the entire three minutes it took the Anbu to take their places again."

Displeasure and exasperation had spread across her face when he told her that. "I'll handle it," she was all she'd said in response and that was the end of it. And true to her word, security had tightened even more than it already was the next day and it never happened again as far as Itachi was aware. If it did and some other Root members had somehow slipped through the cracks, then he didn't notice.

But the whole ordeal had made him curious about the strange seal the old woman had placed on his body, considering how unconcerned she had been over his physical well-being and more so on the security of his cell. Itachi had spent an entire night examining every part of his body, but found no visible indicators that there was even one to be looking for. If it wasn't for the constant pressuring bearing down on his body, he wouldn't have thought there was a seal at all in the first place.

He spent every night testing how strong it was, pushing against its limits. After the first few attempts it had become clear that the seal wasn't meant for complete suppression of his chakra. He found that after some effort he was able to push against it and gather chakra but not a lot. Even with the seal fully in place he was able to activate his Sharingan at the most basic level. After pushing against it a little bit everyday he found he was able to access just enough chakra to produce the Great Fireball Technique once, maybe twice if he tried. And from what he was able to tell the seal's suppression would temporarily loosen before painfully snapping back in place around his chakra coils again when he did that. It lasted for only a few minutes, but he was sure that it would be enough.

The first time he tried Lady Fumiyo had walked in with a knowing smile and a glint in her eye the next morning as she served his medicinal tea. Every day after that was the same and it only confirmed Itachi's suspicions that she was able to remotely monitor him.

A firm knock on the door of his cell roused Itachi from his thoughts. The door opened after a moment and Lady Fumiyo poked her head in before fully stepping inside. He looked the Uzumaki woman over as she closed it behind her, noting the slight furrow between her brows. To his surprise, she wasn't wearing one of the yukatas or traditional kimonos she seemed to favor. Instead, she wore a teal sleeveless kimono-style shirt tied with a black obi and black pants. Even the paper tags that usually hung from her hair were missing.

It was the first time Itachi had seen her look so casual.

Lady Fumiyo sat in the chair across from him with a quiet greeting. "Good morning, Itachi. How are you feeling today?" She pulled out a couple medium sized scrolls from the pouch strapped around her waist. "Good, I hope."

He silently watched her open one of the scrolls with a deft flick of her wrist and unseal it. "The same as yesterday," he told her as she poured out a cup of tea.

She nodded once. "Mm. That's good to hear," she hummed, placing the cup near his hand. "I was concerned you would try to lie and tell me you were feeling better."

Itachi held the cup to his nose and breathed in the scent of today's pot of tea. Every day his interrogator had come to visit him, she had brought with her a new pot of hot tea presumably brewed by Sakura. So far, each one had given off a pungent smell that discouraged drinking it despite knowing its medicinal purposes. But this one was different. It had a faintly sweet smell that reminded him of sort of flower and was surprisingly gentle on his nose.

A small smile upturned the corners of Lady Fumiyo's mouth as she watched him. "Smell good?" she asked as he took his first taste.

Itachi nodded, taking in the tea's pleasant taste before swallowing. "Yes," he said. He took another hearty drink and let the warmth of the cup transfer to the skin of his cold hands as he watched her open the second scroll. "Again? You drew blood just a few days ago."

"Yes, again," Lady Fumiyo sighed as she took hold of his outstretched arm. A shadow came down over her violet eyes as she began drawing blood and Itachi frowned. "Sakura didn't like the results of your last tests and wants to closely monitor you. You're not getting better, but thankfully you're not getting worse." She sealed away the three vials, immediately stowing the scroll away in her pouch, before pulling out a small drawstring bag and dropping it beside his teacup. "She wants you to take these blood replenishing food pills as well."

He opened the bag and pour a few into his hand. "Does Sasuke know?"

"He's aware that you're very unwell. But we've been keeping him in the dark about the full extent of your condition."

Itachi nodded, chewing thoughtfully on a few of the food pills. "Good," he said, "I don't want him worrying about me. Sasuke should focus more on himself."

"Mhm, I see," she hummed, watching him through narrowed eyes. She studied him from across the table as he drank his first cup of tea, silently folding her hands on the edge of the table in front of her. Lady Fumiyo stared at him for a long moment without saying anything and Itachi wanted to look away.

"I want you to try putting yourself in Sasuke's place, Itachi," she said after a moment.

He stared at her, not quite comprehending. "Why?"

"Because I don't think you understand your brother," she told him with a shake of her head, sharp purple eyes watching his expression. "We have the same conversation every day and you always end it the same way, insisting that Sasuke needs to be protected or to forget about you. I've only known the boy two weeks and I've already learned that's the last thing he needs."

Itachi frowned, dark eyes narrowed. His thoughts immediately went to the images of Sasuke's memories burned in his mind, but he forcefully pushed them aside as he busied himself with pouring another cup of tea. "What do I need to understand?" he asked in a low voice.

Lady Fumiyo leaned back in her chair. "That he's not the angry young man you have purposefully shaped to use as a means to end your life," she said with a firm shake of her head and he looked away. "You need to understand that despite all of the anger and hatred you instilled in his heart, at the end of the day he's a survivor of his clan's massacre who longs for what was lost. That's the part of Sasuke that you need to acknowledge, Itachi." Her voice lowered and turned soft and Itachi dared to glance at her again. "He no longer bares none of the hatred and vitriol towards you written in his file. Every day he asks about you, wondering if you're okay, if he'll ever be able to speak with you face to face again. He does nothing but worry about you. All Sasuke cares about is you – his big brother. He knows you were ordered to kill your clansmen by one of our village's council members to prevent a coup. He knows, he understands, and can't forgive you for it, but he still loves you. You're family after all - the last living piece of what was lost."

Itachi's eyes stung at her words and looked away as he clutched at his chest, fingers tightly fisted in his shirt. She always knew just the right buttons to press and when. _Always_. Like she could somehow see inside his head when not even the Yamanaka clan secret mind transfer technique could.

It wasn't as if he didn't already know all that.

A minute of tense silence passed and Lady Fumiyo spoke again. "I've been where he's at," she murmured. Itachi's head snapped up at the sudden change in her voice. The look in her purple eyes had turned distant and her face was pale. Haunted was the first word that came to mind when looking at her. "When I was a young woman, just a little bit older than you are now, I suffered through the massacre of my clan," she begun, folding her hands in her lap, "I witnessed the bloodshed firsthand and was forced to watch as everyone I loved died. My mother – the head of our clan, the leader of our village – she died fighting the invaders and I was helpless to it all." Her voice suddenly hitched and broke as she started crying. Itachi bit his lip and looked away, feeling like an intruder as she sobbed in front of him. "Everyone was so hellbent on protecting me so Naruto's mother would have me when they were all gone, but I wanted to protect them too! I didn't want them to die and leave me. But they wouldn't let me. So Kushina and I lost everything in a matter of hours…

"But when it happened again and I lost Kushina and her husband and their child, the last of my family, of my clan, I felt alone. More than I ever had before," she continued, and he could feel the anguish in her voice as she relived that moment. "And all I wanted was a _tiny_ piece of it back. One _small_ vestige of what I'd lost… So, when I found Naruto—the child I thought had died with his parents—I was overjoyed and so, so grateful." A small smile spread across her face as she lifted her head to meet his gaze again, but it was somewhat bittersweet. "So, do you understand what he wants from you, Itachi? He wants his brother. Not to be protected by him."

Itachi could barely look her in the eye. It wasn't exactly the same as what he'd done to Sasuke, but it was close enough. He'd spent every night going over and over and over again the many memories his little brother had shared with him trying to understand the images and the emotions attached to them. Sasuke's feelings of loneliness, anger, and longing during his childhood and especially whenever he came face to face with Itachi were strong and hard to ignore, making it easy to imagine what Lady Fumiyo was trying to explain to him.

He knew what Sasuke wanted from him, but he still couldn't take any chances.

The probability of Danzō making an attempt on Sasuke's life as leverage or a warning to keep quiet was high. Itachi would rather die with his secrets than endanger his little brother. And he was a shinobi first and foremost. He had a duty towards the village's safety above his own personal feelings.

Itachi willed his tears away and wiped his face clean of emotion before lifting his head up to meet her somber gaze. "Even if that's what Sasuke wants from me, even if it's true, I will not allow any danger come to him or anyone else in this village, including yourself, Lady Fumiyo," he said in a low voice as he closely watched her expression, waiting for the inevitable disappointment he was sure to be met with.

But what he saw instead sent a shiver down his spine.

A shadow had come down over Lady Fumiyo's face and her dark purple eyes narrowed dangerously as she pinned him under her cold glare. It was like none of the last fifteen minutes had happened. All traces of her tears and grief had disappeared, gone like she hadn't just been crying less than a minute ago.

"While your actions may seem noble and just to you, Itachi Uchiha, in reality you are acting incredibly selfishly," she murmured, voice low and menacing as she tapped a manicured finger on the table's surface to an agitated beat. "By continuing to withhold information, you're merely making this more difficult than it needs to be. Whether or not you tell me what I want to know, Sasuke's life remains at risk! _Your_ life remains at risk!" She slammed her fist on the table, making him jump in his seat as the empty tea pot rattled on its surface. "The safety and peace that the Fifth Hokage fosters for the people of the Hidden Leaf is in danger and you have the power to put an end to it, yet you consciously choose not to." Lady Fumiyo fell silent as some of her anger abated. "I thank you for disclosing all that you know – what little it may have been – about the Akatsuki and their current motives, but it's not enough," she sighed as she shook her head. "It's simply not enough."

Itachi glared back at her, unable to hold back any longer. He'd been thrown off by her sudden ruthless behavior and drawn in by her display of grief. Just as she had intended. _She's a fine actress. Able to cry one second and turn cold and dangerous the next._

He'd been prepared for Inoichi Yamanaka's and Ibiki Morino's attacks and attempts to pry information from him and break his spirit when they had tried interrogating him the week before. They had done more harm to themselves than to him trying to break his mental barriers. But Lady Fumiyo was different. Unlike them, she didn't pry into his mind with jutsu or torture tools in order to make his defenses crumble despite having the ability to do so. Instead, she poked and prodded at him, looking to provoke a reaction out of him to get the answers she was seeking, trying to find a way to penetrate his defenses to wear him down mentally. And it was often with success. The old woman seemed to know just which buttons to push and when.

Like she had a manual telling her exactly what to say.

But he was done being manipulated by her.

"What good will it do even if I were to tell you?" Itachi demanded, lashing out. "He'll find a path that would allow him to continue to shape the village as he sees fit. And he'll use anyone and anything to achieve that goal." His thoughts immediately went to the actions of Shisui, the entirety of their clan, and even himself all leading up to the massacre. "The lengths he will go to in order to do so are insurmountable. Whether I speak or not doesn't matter, the outcome will be the same. But if I can protect Sasuke or anyone else in his line of sight – selfish or not – I will."

At his words an emotion too quick for him to identify crossed her face before clearing. She leaned forward, purple eyes intently watching him. "Even knowing what he's capable of, you still won't tell me his name?"

He shook his head once. "No." His expression turned distant as his thoughts turned inward again to the plethora of Sasuke's memories and the emotions attached to them. All of the good and all of the bad that he had lived through. "I am more than just protecting Sasuke physically from him. I know the pain and hatred my little brother's capable of harboring—I created it after all. But I saw him. I saw his eyes. He's no longer plagued by that desire for revenge and I have no intention of reigniting it. I don't want him to war with his friends or even kill them if they got in his way. Sasuke's finally recovered and surrounded himself with love..." Itachi fell silent as he noticed the sudden interest on her face and looked away. He'd said too much.

When he said nothing else, her expression closed off and she leaned away. "Then there's little I can do to help you anymore, Itachi. I'll see you tomorrow," she told him in a flat voice.

Without another word, Lady Fumiyo sealed away the empty tea pot and cup before standing from the table and leaving him alone in his cell once more.


End file.
